Light in the Darkness
by Sailorstar165
Summary: Roxas awakens on a train leading to a new home and life. With no memory of his past, he SHOULD be able to live a normal life in Twilight Town, right? SPOILERS! Written before 358/2 Days existed
1. Roxas's Return

**ANY AND ALL FLAMES WILL BE READ,** **PUBLICIZED, MADE FUN OF, AND THEN LAUGHED AT UNTIL WE GET BORED AND/OR ANOTHER FLAME COMES ALONG!** Thank you.

* * *

Train tracks clattered underneath him, but he hardly heard a sound. Roxas felt so tired. All he wanted to do was sleep. Something was pulling on his sleeve, trying to wake him. He brushed it away. Whatever was happening would have to wait until he woke up.

Roxas's blonde hair was messy from laying his head against the window behind him, but it was normally, so it didn't matter. His clothes were torn on the knees and a bit shabby, but what did he expect? He was an orphan, so he couldn't even buy something decent.

Why was he so tired? Oh yes, he ran to the station to catch the train. Where was he going? Twilight Town. Why though...? He tried desperately to recall, but his brain was slow with drowsiness. He was being put into foster care, with someone with the last name Yoake... Would they be nice? He didn't know.

The tugging on his sleeve didn't stop. Roxas opened one eye lazily to stare into the green eyes of a child. Her hair was a deep red, and as they went through a tunnel, it seemed to turn a deep purple. She was wearing an overall jumper over a white shirt with an ivory colored bow on the collar. "Mr., are you getting off at Twilight Town? The conductor just came by and said we'd be getting there soon."

Roxas blinked. Was she there when he got onto the train? He honestly couldn't remember. "Thanks." He picked up his backpack that lay forlorn on the spot next to him.

The train slowed to a halt at Central Station. Walking off the train onto the platform, Roxas noticed the little girl was following him. She had to be about six or seven. What could she be doing here by herself?

She clasped his hand, as if expecting him to help her to her destination. "Where are you headed, all alone?" inquired Roxas.

"My grandma's. This is the first time by myself!" she said with a huge, hundred-watt smile. She was missing her front tooth.

"Really? Well, can I join you for a little bit? I don't know my way around at all." They'd already left the station and gone into the warm, setting sun. It was a beautiful sunset. "Did you get visited by the Tooth Fairy?"

The girl's smile widened as she nodded. "Yup! I got a whole two quarters!"

Roxas chuckled as he followed the child. "My name's Roxas. What's yours?" But the girl shook her head, saying she shouldn't tell strangers her name. She was an odd little girl.

They continued, talking about different things that interested the little girl and occasionally stopping so the girl could tie her little pink shoe. In the end, Roxas had to help her, since she was so bad with knots. When they reached a street leading off in another direction, the girl let go of his hand. "I can get there on my own now! Thank you, Mr. Roxas!" she said, waving behind her as she ran toward her grandma's house. She tripped over an uneven brick in the road, stood up, brushed herself off, and continued on her way.

Roxas chuckled to himself as he pulled out directions scribbled on a folded paper. They started at the station! He turned to go back, but realized that he didn't know his way back there either! "Now what do I do...?" That was obvious. Try to find someone to ask for directions.

He wandered around for a bit. No one was around. Everyone was inside for dinner. That sounded good just about now...

He was so busy thinking about what a mess he'd gotten himself into that he hadn't noticed that he'd walked into an alleyway. Then he got the feeling one gets when being followed. He spun around, half expecting a monster to jump out at him, but that was an absurd idea. He turned back to the way he was going and bumped into someone.

"Who are you?" the boy asked coldly. He wore a long coat with a blue shirt that showed his midriff. On his head was a knit hat with a kanji on it, but Roxas was too busy backing away slowly to read it. "Well? Are you going to answer, or not?"

"Answer Seifer, y'know?" called a voice from behind Roxas. Three people were standing there now. A tall, muscular man with brown hair and tanned skin was the one who'd spoken.

"Name," said the girl with short, blue hair. She was wearing all blue, which only made her red eyes stand out. She seemed to be a girl of little words.

The final of the group was a short boy. He wore a hat and coat with a bunch of buckles, and the hat shrouded his face in shadows. He just held his hat as he shook his head.

"Uh..." Roxas was doing his best to look brave, but unsuccessfully.

"Seifer! What are doing here?" snapped a voice from behind the redheaded boy in the hat. A boy with blonde hair and amber eyes dashed up. He was wearing camouflage pants and a vest. Following him were a girl with brown hair and emerald eyes wearing an orange flower print shirt and a boy with black hair in a headband and brown eyes wearing a red jersey that had Dog Street written on it.

"Mugging people? That's not nice!" shouted the girl.

"Feh, yeah right. I've just never seen his face around here before," answered Seifer with a frown.

Roxas felt dizzy suddenly. Whether from fear of the half a dozen people around him or from his being tired he didn't know, but he collapsed into a heap on the ground.

* * *

Roxas awoke to see the girl watching him. The boy with dark hair and the boy with the blonde hair were talking, the one pointing at the piece of folded paper.

"—my address!" he heard the boy saying. "Who the heck is this kid?"

"He's awake!" cried the girl happily. She smiled as he sat up. "Hi! My name's Olette, and these guys here are Hayner and Pence." She pointed to the blond boy and the dark haired boy in turn.

"I'm Roxas. Um..." He dug into his pockets to find the sheet of paper, only to discover that Hayner had it. "Oh, I'm looking for that address. Do you know how to get there?"

"And why do you want to go to my house?" Hayner asked coldly.

"Oh! Uh... I was told to come here because of foster care and everything..." his voice trailed off as he said this.

"Oh yeah! You said something about that the other day, remember Hayner?" said Pence with a grin. "You probably forgot, knowing you!"

"I didn't forget!" lied Hayner through his teeth. "Come on, it's getting late. Follow me."

Roxas followed Hayner, hoping for no more trouble would find him. He seemed to be having bad luck that day.

The sun was like half a gold coin on the horizon when they reached Hayner's house. The shadows were lengthening, only serving to frighten Roxas for some reason he didn't know. He wasn't afraid of the dark last time he checked.

Roxas entered the kitchen to find a tall woman with platinum colored hair just putting food on the table and a man with a darker shade of yellow hair sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. Both glanced up as they saw Roxas and Hayner enter.

"Where have you been!" shouted the woman. "You are late!" She stressed every word.

"Sorry Mom! I bumped into Roxas here on the way home," Hayner jabbed his thumb in the air toward Roxas.

"Oh! The boy we're supposed to keep an eye on," said the man, Hayner's dad, from behind the newspaper. He turned the page and didn't even glance up again.

"Dear..." said an exasperated Mrs. Yoake. "Never mind. Let's just eat. Then you can show Roxas around the house, all right Hayner?"

"Fine Mom..." grumbled Hayner.

Mrs. Yoake and Mr. Yoake chatted about work. From the sound of it, Hayner's mother was a newspaper editor, and his father was a conductor on a train that ran from Central Station to Sunset Station.

Roxas was done long before anyone else. Though he'd been starving before running into Seifer and his gang, he didn't really feel like eating now. His stomach churned at the sight of the food.

"Are you feeling all right, Dear?" questioned Mrs. Yoake. "You're awfully pale."

Roxas shook his head. Was he getting sick or something? On his first day in Twilight Town? He thought back the small girl he'd walked to her grandmother's. He hoped he hadn't gotten her ill too.

"Well, the best cure for being under the weather is sleep," stated Mr. Yoake, eating another forkful of the pan-fried fish. "Why don't you show him to his room, Son?"

Hayner looked up from his dinner. "Fine, but you'd better leave me some more food!" He stood up and signed for Roxas to follow him up the stairs.

As they went down the hallway, Hayner pointed out the bathroom, his own room, and finally Roxas's, which was across the hall.

"This is normally the guest room, so it's not very colorful," Hayner explained, opening the door to reveal a plain and dull looking room. There was a window pointing out over the street below next to a bed with clean sheets. The window interested Roxas the most. It was the kind that opened sort of like a door instead of pushing the bottom up for air. "'Night, Roxas."

"Thanks," Roxas yawned back. His eyelids were heavy with sleep as he dropped his bag onto the floor and curled up on the bed. He didn't bother changing into his pajamas, and just let sleep take him in its comforting arms.

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I hope you liked this chapter of this fic! There is a reason for Roxas's return, but what that reason is, you'll have to wait to find out! See ya later, gater! Thanks for reading!


	2. Scattered Dreams

**Chapter 2: Scattered Dreams**

"_What are we going to do with him?" inquired a young voice. She sounded worried, as if something weren't right._

"_He'll be safe, don't worry," replied another girl. Young as the voice was, this girl seemed to have much wisdom. "I already know where he'll be staying."_

"_Still, pulling strings like that... Don't you think someone will notice?"_

"_No, they won't. People can't see what's beyond their noses sometimes. We'll be safe until then."_

"_But what about Sora? Won't he notice? Kairi too! Riku will be suspicious as well..."_

"_We'll put up the charade long enough for his sake."_

Roxas felt faint, as if he was fading. _'What was that...?' _he asked himself. He looked above him, which was really down. Through the shadows, he could see something approaching. A stained glass window maybe? As he neared it, he managed to flip over to land on the panel. What was it of though? He stared long and hard, but the picture wouldn't come to him. After what seemed like hours, he saw it.

The stained glass made up a girl staring up at the stars above. She wore a plain white skirt that ended just above her knees and wore sandals. She had her hands clasped together, as if praying for something. Who was she though...? She seemed so familiar.

There was a violent rumbling and a pedestal appeared in front of him. On it laid two weapons, one white and the other black. The white weapon had what looked like a blue and gold star on the top, making it look like a key. The length of the blade was made of two different poles that connected to a hilt with wings. There was a key chain off the end that was a pink star with a little face drawn on it. The second was a black key-looking blade, similar to the first. A black crown hung off of that key.

"_Do you choose to accept your fate?"_ questioned a soft voice. It was more of a feeling that a sound. He couldn't tell if the voice was female or male, or even how old it was. He could just tell that the voice was.

"What's my fate...?" he inquired

"_That is for you to decide... Are you willing to remember your past, or would you rather live safely with Hayner and the others?"_

For some reason, Roxas found this to be a hard decision. What was in his past that would make it be so important he decide?

Before he could answer, the voice whispered, _"If you wish to continue learning your past, pick up the Keyblades, Oathkeeper and Oblivion. If you wish to remain oblivious to your past and live safely with your friends, then don't. I cannot say what either future brings for you, but you'll find your own path."_

Roxas searched the area for the source of the voice, but when he couldn't find it, thought hard, harder than he'd ever thought before. He considered both. He wanted to remember, he really did. His parents, what happened before the accident that took them away from him so he'd never find them, everything. On the other hand, the voice said that he'd live safely with his friends if he didn't have his memories. It confused him greatly.

Looking at the polished handles of the Keyblades, he knew what he had to do, but did he want to...? He grabbed them both, one in each hand, and swung them slightly. _"Is this the path you choose?"_ he felt the voice ask. Once he nodded, the voice continued. _"Now that you've chosen, there's no turning back to the kindness emptiness can bring. Are you positive that you want to fill that hole with the past and not the future?"_

"I want to know who I am," Roxas replied softly, as if the slightest noise could shatter the stained glass he now stood on.

Something floated down from the darkness above. A small light floated into his outstretched palm. _"A gift, to help protect you until your destiny is clear to you," _it said. _"Its spell will burn those who are empty, and its light will weaken those who are not whole. Remember that, and keep it with you always." _The stained glass beneath him shattered, and Roxas started falling into the nothingness below him.

He screamed loudly, and fell out of his bed. "What was that?" he muttered to no one in particular. He glanced around. Something didn't feel quite right. Once again, he had the sensation that someone was watching him.

"_Wait! You still have much to learn!"_ cried the voice. It seemed stressed, as if it was having difficulty talking to him. _"This world—"_ but the voice faltered and died.

Roxas stared around again. What was the voice trying to tell him? Was he still dreaming? He placed the necklace, which had a small jewel shard and a strange rune on it, around his neck. He noticed the weapons he'd taken were lying next to his feet on the floor. He took them and left the room. Maybe Hayner would know what was happening.

He hardly got as far as downstairs before something rushed past him and out the door, with Roxas chasing after it.

When he reached a huge area in the middle of the buildings, he lost the creature. Wherever it was, it wasn't leading him on now.

"Roxas!" cried a girl. Roxas noticed a girl with blonde hair and deep blue eyes, like the one in the stained glass, standing far above him on a building. "Run! It's a trap!"

Confused, Roxas took a step toward the building she was on. "A trap? What do you mean?" He didn't have to wait long for an answer. There was a violent rumbling, and he fell backward into a black portal. Falling out the other side, he realized it was another world of Nothingness. The stained panel here had a large, black heart-shaped symbol in it. Random shards of the stained glass were sticking up, creating patches as sharp as needle.

"Anyone here?" he called, but the girl and the voice were gone. "Voice! Girl!" Nothing responded. He noticed a white person, or what he thought was a person. It moved awfully oddly for a human being. "Do you know what's going on?" he asked it.

The person watched him, creeping Roxas out even more. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished without a trace. In its place was a light, bright as a supernova.

Without a second thought, Roxas walked toward it. _"The closer to the light you get, the greater your shadow becomes..."_ resounded something in his head.

"Voice?" he inquired. _'No, it feels different than the voice... Like a memory...'_ Roxas thought. He turned to look at his shadow. The memory was right, of course.

Suddenly, the shadow became 3D. It stood up to stare at him, but something was wrong. Was that really his shadow? It wore different clothes than he did, and it pulled out one sword instead of the two that Roxas was holding. It launched an attack.

Pitifully, Roxas dived out of the way. His knee hit the floor, and it scraped the skin off so that he was bleeding. What was he supposed to do? What **_COULD_** he do? The thing jumped at him again. This time, Roxas blocked the blow with the Oathkeeper and struck with the Oblivion.

The startled shadow took a few steps back, then dived in for another attack. This time, instead of using the Keyblade it wielded, the shadow wrapped its hands around Roxas's neck. It grinned with its black teeth.

Roxas couldn't breathe. He could feel the thing pulling him in, trying to absorb him... He cried out for help, hoping that anyone would rescue him.

His wish came true. A man with flaming red hair flew past, slashing the shadow with two strange, circular weapons engulfed in flame. He spun around to watch Roxas fall to the ground, barely conscious. "Roxas!" he called urgently. "Answer me! Roxas!" He was shouting louder, but his voice faded, along with the nothingness around Roxas. Or was it Roxas disappearing...?

* * *

Roxas sprang up in his bed. At first, he couldn't figure out where he was. Was it still his dream, or was he finally awake? Roxas didn't know the answer. The pain he'd felt was so real though... Speaking of pain... Roxas gripped his knee, where he'd fallen in his dream. Something rust-colored was starting to blossom on the fabric of his pants. He carefully rolled it up and stared. Blood; right where he'd cut himself on the stained glass floor. He felt himself cringe at the sight.

Roxas felt something around his neck. As if of its own accord, he felt his hand touch the charms around his neck. The same ones as in the dream! "What's going on?"

"Roxas! You up?" There was a knock, and Hayner came in. He yawned slightly. "Jeez, you're loud! You're lucky my mom and dad are—_what happened_?" he yelled, staring at Roxas's cut up knee.

Even though, Roxas knew Hayner wouldn't believe him, he tried to explain anyway. "I had this weird dream... I got hurt in it because I fell on some glass in it when my shadow was attacking me..."

Hayner left for a moment and came back with a first aid kit. "You're lucky I hurt myself a lot skateboarding and fighting with Seifer..." he muttered as he helped clean the wound. "But still, a dream where you were attacked by your shadow? That sounds like some stupid horror movie gone wrong!"

Roxas listened as he got chewed out. "Well, it was weird. I got this from the dream too." He held up the leather thread that held the jewel and rune around his neck. "I know I didn't have it yesterday!"

Without a word, Hayner stared at the necklace. "I've never seen it either... You sure you didn't forget about it and left it under your shirt where no one could see it?"

"I'm serious! There was something with that dream! Something strange is going on and I want to know what it is!" Roxas regretted saying that. Hayner probably thought he was crazy now.

"Crazy stuff went on a while ago, but it all stopped when Sora—" Hayner hesitated. "You know what? Never mind." He finished bandaging the cut. "Let's eat some breakfast and figure out what this 'dream' stuff is all about."

Roxas stared at Hayner's back and sighed. Somehow, he knew that Hayner wouldn't believe him. Like he'd gone through this before...

After changing out of his clothes from the day before, Roxas limped down the stairs. His knee hurt and was stiff from the bandages. Finally reaching the kitchen, he sat down for a bowl of cereal. When he'd finished with it, the phone rang.

Hayner ran over and picked up the receiver. "Yoake residence, Hayner speaking." He paused. "What's up Olette? You actually waited until we were all awake before calling?" Another pause. "Yeah, Roxas's up. Meet at the usual spot? Got it. See ya then!" He hung up.

"Olette?" Roxas prompting, wanting to know the details of the phone conversation.

"Yeah. She wants to meet us at the usual spot so we can go shopping. She's a nightmare at the store!"

Choking down a laugh, Roxas put the bowl in the sink. "So, we going now?"

Hayner nodded. "It'll take forever without my skateboard, though..." he groaned. "I had to take it to the shop, since Pence didn't have the parts to fix it..."

They started on their way. Roxas didn't want to bring up his dream again, but he had to. "In my dream, there was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Know anyone like that?"

"Nope."

"There was a guy with red hair too. Tall, probably a pyro?"

"No."

"How about someone—"

"Just shut up about that dream!" Hayner snapped, messing up his own hair in frustration. "What is with you? You're driving me crazy!"

Looking away, Roxas whispered a quick apology. He was going to ask about the person who was all white that had vanished, but if he tried, Hayner would probably slug him. Instead, he asked, "Who's Sora?"

Hayner gave him a cold look. "A friend of ours we haven't seen for a long time."

Shuddering under the relentless glare, Roxas peered around them. "What kind of stores are there around here?"

"You just don't stop asking questions, do you? There are the stores you'd find anywhere: grocery store, item shop, accessory shop, clothes stores. Then there are more specialty stores like the Xtreme Sports Goods store—we'll definitely stop there—and the Synthesis Shop that just opened where the Candy Store used to be."

There was a long silence. They'd reached the place that Hayner and his friends had taken him when he'd fainted.

Pence was sitting on the couch next to Olette, a dazed expression on his face. Olette glanced up from whatever she was doing and smiled as the two entered. "Hi! Pence hasn't woken up yet. We'll leave once he's conscious."

Roxas waved his hand in front of Pence's face. There was no reaction. "Is this normal?" he questioned, now poking Pence in the arm.

"It takes him forever to wake up," Hayner scoffed.

Olette gazed calmly and unblinkingly at Hayner, making him shift uncomfortably. She then turned and did the same to Roxas, but for a shorter time. "Am I missing something?"

Roxas figured this was the best time, if any, to bring up his dream. Even though he was getting a glare from Hayner, he explained the incident of that morning. "Hayner's not happy with me because he thinks I'm taking it way too seriously or something."

Incredulously, Olette glanced from one face to another. Pence was doing the same. By that time, he was perfectly awake and had heard most of the story. "That sounds kinda like what happened when Sora was here! You know, with King Mickey and those monsters showing up everywhere?"

Hayner groaned. "Let's just go shopping, all right? That's why you called us here," he hissed dangerously. He left the little hide away, still grumbling.

"Wow! I've never seen him this mad before..." commented Pence, following him.

Just before they left, Olette whispered to Roxas, "Don't mind Hayner. I think he just doesn't know how to react to you yet."

"Huh?" Roxas gave her a quizzical look, but she just smiled sweetly at him and followed Pence. Things were really staring to go from bad to worse in Twilight Town.

* * *

That's it for chappy 2! Don't expect another update right after like this. I need to sort out my ideas for the future! Plus, I have other fics to update besides this one. I hope you enjoyed it! Bye!


	3. Far Off Memory

**Chapter 3: Far of Memory**

I can't help it! I must update this fic! It's too much fun to not update!

Riku: She's got the entire thing planned out now...

Me: Quiet Riku-Kun. Anywho, here's the update. Thank you for the reviews, everyone!

* * *

Sighing sadly, Roxas followed the others to a place with a bunch of different building. There, they waited for a few minutes for a small tram to come by. When it finally came, the hopped on just as it came to a halt.

"So, this town has a lot of trains and stuff?" Roxas asked, trying to break the silence. They were the only ones on the tram.

"There are a few ways around, but trams and trains are the fastest," answered Pence with a smile. "The other way to get around is to have a skate board or something similar." Pence was wearing pretty much the same thing as the day before, except the jersey had Dog Street on the back and just the symbol on the front. Olette said that he had a million of the same jerseys.

"We're pretty much staying in Tram Common, so we don't have to worry about taking forever to get places," said Olette. She was wearing blue today, with fake gems on the jeans to make flowers and a butterfly on her shirt. Next to her was a large messenger bag, but what Olette needed it for, Roxas didn't know.

Hayner was still ignoring Roxas. He was wearing the vest from the day before, but a gray T-shirt underneath and dark green jeans. Roxas had never seen anyone that angry before, or as far as he knew.

"We'll pick up your skateboard, don't worry," sighed Olette. "Then we can go shopping for Roxas!" She waited for an answer. "Right?" She received a grunt of acknowledgement.

Pence shook his head. "Hayner, quit being a jerk!"

"It doesn't matter," whispered Roxas. He knew that he'd angered Hayner even more after the words left his lips. All the same, he sent a defiant glare to Hayner as he said, "He has a free will to be a jerk like Seifer if he really wants to."

Olette's eyes widened, and Pence stared nervously between Hayner and Roxas. Both were glaring daggers at each other. Roxas looked away with embarrassment. Why had he said that? He hardly even **_KNEW_** Seifer.

"At least he's smart enough to know what that idiot Seifer is," Hayner sneered. The tram slowed to a halt as Olette pulled the rope above her. The first to stand up, Hayner gazed coldly at Roxas for a split second, and then jumped off the tram.

The others followed after Hayner. They'd reached the sporting goods store without many problems. All Roxas could do was hope that they'd forget about his comments on the tram.

"Yo, Hayner!" called a voice. A man with black hair pulled back in a small ponytail stood behind a counter in a stall lined with different skateboards, bikes, and other sports equipment. "Here's your skateboard, good as new!" He grinned as he passed the board to Hayner.

Gratefully accepting it, Hayner whispered something to the man. "So, think you could, Sid?"

"'Course, Dude. Your name's Roxas?" he asked Roxas. "Mine's Sid. Wanna try a skateboard?"

Surprised by the question, Roxas glanced around the group. No one seemed to be wanting to help him with his response, so he said, "Sure, but I've never tried it before..."

Sid was in the back of the shop and in front of the counter again in a matter of seconds. He held out a white skateboard that had blue streaks on it. "Careful with it, Dude. Good luck."

Roxas placed it on the ground and stood on it. He propelled himself forward with his other foot, but as the board moved, he fell of onto his back. Everyone started laughing loudly. Now he understood. Hayner was getting payback by watching him fail so badly! He brushed himself off and stood on the board again, this time ready for it to move.

Roxas flew forward on the skateboard. As it moved, he did a heel flip. He noticed a rail next to the store and managed to grind on it, doing a handstand at the same time. He popped a jump off of it and performed a method grab just before landing on the ground. How he managed it, even he didn't know.

There were mixed reactions about the accomplishment. Hayner's jaw practically hit the pavement as he gawked at Roxas. Olette was applauding so excitedly that she was jumping up and down. Pence gave Roxas the thumbs up. Sid just grinned and said, "Well, I'll be..."

Shocked by his own ability, Roxas stomped on the back of the board so he could catch it on the way up. This made him wonder even more. It couldn't have been raw talent that helped him do those tricks. He glanced around at his friends' faces.

"If you want that board, you can keep it," said a grinning Sid. "That was my ol' board anyway."

Without realizing it, Roxas sent a smug grin at Hayner. It only served to make him resent Roxas more. "Come on. We were supposed to be shopping, right? Let's get going!" He said it a little more forcibly than he'd meant to.

With a quick "thank you" to Sid, Roxas followed them once again to another shop. This time, they went into a large department store. "Do we have to be in here?" Pence inquired with a groan. "You know they don't have anything good here!"

"Hey, this is my favorite store, I'll have you know!" Olette said, sticking her tongue out at the group. She went to one of the sale racks. She was already sifting through the men's clothes.

"You make sure we never forget," Hayner growled. "You only remind us every time you force us in here."

"Well, maybe if you'd wear some better outfits I wouldn't have to drag you here so much," she said back. She was already taking a ton of things off the racks. "Roxas, try these on while I find some more stuff," she commanded, handing the clothes to him. As soon as he had taken it from her, she went back to searching for different outfits.

Pence led him to the nearby fitting room. There, he said, "Just a warning, but Olette can pick out some really strange things. She doesn't remember half of the stuff she picks out, so if there's something really goofy, don't bother with it. If she does happen remember, say that it didn't feel right when you were wearing it. She'll never know the difference."

Thanking him for the advice, Roxas went into one of the stalls. Sighing, he discovered Pence was right. After trying on the worth while shirts and things and "modeling" them for Olette, as Pence put it, he came across clothes that he though suited him. He tried them on and walked out.

He wore a black short sleeved shirt with a zipper on the front, and it had some four-pointed symbol on the front. Over top of it was a white jacket shirt with a red collar and a checkered pattern across the chest and where the sleeves connected to the rest of it. The pants seemed slightly strange to Roxas, but they matched perfectly. They were black until they hit about the knees, and there they went tan. He couldn't help but grin as Olette happily hopped up and down again.

"Oh, I wasn't sure if it would look any good, but I was right! Roxas is so handsome in it!" she said, satisfied with her handy work. "Something seems to be missing accessory-wise, but other than that, it looks great!"

"Hate to admit it, but she's right," Hayner grumbled.

"Aw, don't say that, luv," whispered a tall woman from behind them, making the entire group jump. "It's wonderful, Olette." The woman had long blue hair pulled back into braid. She had gorgeous green eyes. She seemed like she belonged in magazines and not in front of them now.

"Hi, Ginsei!" Olette cried with a grin. "You scared us!" She turned to Roxas. "This is Fujin's sister. She was the girl with Seifer yesterday."

"So who's your new friend?" Ginsei asked. Her voice was as sweet as honey, but unlike Hayner and Pence, who were obviously head over heels for the girl, Roxas was hardly interested.

"I'm Roxas," he said with a nod. He went back into the changing rooms and came back out in his original ensemble, a plain red T-shirt and jeans.

Ginsei took one look at him and sniffed disapprovingly. "You were much cuter in the other. Anyway, I'll be at the check out when you luvs are finished."

Once Ginsei was gone, Olette turned and hit Pence and Hayner on the head. "You guys are so stupid, drooling like that!"

"If only she was the model and not your photographer," sighed Pence.

"Yeah... She'd be beautiful, even in your ugly outfits," replied Hayner, dreamily. They both got another sharp whack for it.

Roxas had to laugh when they went to the check out and both of them were drooling once again. Though Olette strongly objected, Roxas only got the outfit he wore last, a couple of different T-shirts, a sweatshirt, a jacket, and a couple pairs of jeans. He didn't have the heart to say he didn't like a lot of the stuff she'd picked out, so instead he said that he didn't want her spending all her Munny on him. All the same, Olette bought him a black and white checkered wristband and two cloth rings, one black and the other white.

Next they headed for a home improvement store that Pence's parents owned to buy paint for Roxas's room. Roxas thought Pence's parents were nice, but bickered amongst themselves a bit too much. Pence's mother was short and a little fat, with curly brown hair and large, beetle black eyes. His father, on the other hand, was tall, but had the same eyes and hair. Pence's father seemed puny compared to his wife, though.

Once they bought what they needed there, they stopped at "Hangout", Olette's dad's small restaurant.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Roxas," said Mr. Yume. He was tall with brown hair like Olette. He had extremely tan skin and brown eyes to match. He was wearing an apron over an island-print shirt and green shorts. Apparently, he didn't have the fashion sense Olette did. "Since this is your first time here, how about a free milkshake?"

"Do we get one too?" Hayner asked innocently.

"No, you have to pay. I gave you a freebee the first time you came too, so don't complain. Besides," Mr. Yume added, "you get friend discounts."

They all got different shakes. Roxas's free milkshake was strawberry banana. Pence got chocolate. Hayner ordered Sea-Salt flavored, and whatever that was, it didn't sound too tasty to Roxas. Olette, to be different, got a peach smoothie. Hayner got an order of fries too.

After they'd finished eating their lunch, they headed for the clock tower above the train station. When they reached there, a short, slightly overweight man was putting posters up on the walls.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Hayner inquired.

The man turned. "Oh! I was trying to advertise the Struggle a bit more, but no one's interested in fighting this year. Our old fighters think it's fixed, since Seifer won... Sid twisted his ankle really bad last week, so he's not going to compete this year... We can't hold a proper Struggle tournament without at least four people, and the only people entered are you, Vivi—shockingly—and Setzer. Seifer doesn't count, since he was the past Champion..."

Reading the poster, Roxas said, "Maybe I could enter. What are the rules?"

The man chuckled heartily. "That's awfully kind of you! The Struggle is basically a fighting tournament, so it might not be the thing for you. Hayner, I'm sure, can show you how to compete properly. I'll sign you up, um..."

"Roxas."

"Great! See you at the competition then, Roxas." The man waddled away. He seemed much too portly to be in charge of anything remotely like an athletics contest...

"What! HEY! I DON'T WANT TO—" but as Hayner turned to complain, the man was gone.

"It doesn't matter. You'll just have to show him how to fight and teach him the Struggle rules," snickered Olette.

Pence nodded in agreement. "Besides, you can beat Roxas in the tournament, if you really don't like him so much."

"Thanks a lot, guys..." grumbled Roxas. He knew that Hayner would take all of his frustration out on him. That's what made Roxas so nervous about the battles.

Olette caught the note of distress in Roxas's voice. "Don't worry. Hayner's not the best Struggler either. You'll pound Vivi, at least. He was the kid with the funny hat," added Olette with a laugh.

"Come on, let's just get to the top!" Pence said.

"Hey, he can't go to our secret hangout!" Hayner snapped, but to no avail. His other friends were already leading Roxas to the elevator leading up the huge clock tower.

Staring out at the sunset from so high up unnerved Roxas. He avoided looking down as hard as possible. "Have you guys ever fallen off?" he asked, sitting down so his feet hung off the side.

"Don't worry! Unless you're standing up, you can't fall off by accident," replied Olette with a smile. Even with her reassurance, Roxas didn't want to even look at the ground below.

Pence glanced over at Olette's bag, which Roxas had seen her take Munny out of it for things, but had a feeling that cash wasn't the only thing in there. "So, what are you carrying in there?" Pence asked with a frown.

"Stuff," answered Olette, with a smile. She pulled out some Ice Cream packages from it. "I bought these when you guys were busy talking about the Struggle," she said as she passed them around.

"All right! Sea Salt Ice Cream!" Hayner said with a gleeful grin. He pulled the wrapper off and started licking the frozen treat happily.

Roxas accepted his but didn't know what to think as he tasted it. "Salty, but sweet..." he murmured.

"The entire point of Sea Salt Ice Cream!" Pence said, greedily slurping his. "Haven't you ever had it before?"

"Not that I can remember..." Roxas answered. The treat was familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd had it before.

"I have a question!" Olette watched Roxas curiously. "Why is it that you're in Foster care? I know I might be being nosy, but I've just got to know!"

"My parents and I got into a car crash..." Roxas started, but hesitated as he saw their horrified looks. "They didn't make it, or that's what the doctors said. I managed to get by with just a really bad case of amnesia. They told me I didn't have any other family, so I was put into Foster care...

"I can't even remember my parents' names, or even where I'm from," he continued. "I don't remember ever having friends, or what I was good at, or even my favorite food!"

"Sorry man," Hayner said, pausing to eat more of his ice cream. "Wait!" he said abruptly. "What am I sorry for?" He grinned at Roxas.

Blankly, Roxas stared back. "It's all right," he sighed, finishing his melting ice cream. "It's not like it just happened."

Olette leaned over and gave Roxas a hug. "I'm sorry I brought it up," she whispered. Roxas could tell she was telling the truth, too. Tears were in her eyes.

"Don't worry about it!" Roxas said, faking a smile. He knew it was plainly false, but it seemed to make Olette calm down slightly. "I'm the one with the problem, and it's not like anyone can change the fact." He stood up, forgetting Olette's warning of not getting up suddenly. "Come on, let's get some more ice cream or something!" He lost his balance. "Ahh!"

"Roxas!" Pence shouted, trying to grab Roxas's arm. He had been sitting to Roxas's left, next to Hayner, and Olette had been on Roxas's right. He missed, and shouted something inaudible to Roxas as the wind whistled in his ears.

Everything seemed to slow down as thoughts whirled around in Roxas's brain. He was going to die. No one could survive from that height. Desperately, he reached his arm up. His back was to the ground as he tried to reach for something to grab on to. The ledge wasn't far enough out for him to reach. Was this really the end?

Roxas closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Someone grabbed his arm, and the jerk was so hard that Roxas felt as if his arm had been yanked out of its socket. He looked up and saw a man with a tan face and markings under his green eyes trying to pull him up onto a ledge. It took Roxas a few seconds, but nevertheless discovered that this man was the same redhead from his dream!

The man grimaced as he tried to drag Roxas onto the ledge with him. With a groan, he pulled hard again. After every attempt, he glanced down at something around Roxas's neck... the necklace!

Roxas tried to hide the jewel quickly, but that made him swing enough to make the man lose his footing, and they both toppled toward the ground. "Hold on tight, Roxas!" the redhead yelled against the wind. He pulled Roxas in a bit closer, twisted so that they were falling head first, and lifted a hand in front of him. A black thing opened below them, and they fell into it.

Another portal appeared behind Hayner and the others on the top of the tower. Roxas and the man burst through it as if they were still falling, but horizontally. The both landed with a loud **_THWUMP_**. Roxas was speechless from the experience. How had all of this happened?

The man got up and brushed some invisible dirt from his black coat. "Well, that was close, right Roxas?"

"Who are you...?" Roxas inquired, pushing himself away while still on the ground. "How do you know my name?"

The man's smirk disappeared as he leaned against the wall. "You really don't recognize me?" His voice revealed the disappointment.

Hayner shouted, "Get away from him, Roxas! He's dangerous!"

"Jeez, one mistake, and you're labeled for life..." he said sarcastically. He pushed back his bangs with the hand he wasn't using to prop himself up against the wall. "Name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

Pence glared at him. "We don't care who you are! Just get out of here!"

"Fine, I'll be going now." The wall where Axel was leaning against turned into another dark portal and fell through it. The entire time, though, he kept his cool. "I'll be seeing you, Roxas."

"What a creep!" Olette growled.

"He knew my name..." Roxas whispered. He hardly dared to let the others hear it, even though they knew it was strange. "I've never met the guy, but he knew my name..."

"You sure?" Pence questioned as he sat down on the ledge again. "He seemed to know you perfectly and looked upset that you didn't know who he was."

"That guy can get run over by a train," Hayner sneered. "He was the one who kidnapped Kairi, don't forget."

"Kairi?" Roxas peered at his friends. "Who's she?"

"I'll tell you later."

Olette dug in her messenger bag for something. "Here!" She retrieved an old, beat up book. "I bought this at the library's book sale! I've been thinking about that necklace, and I remembered this." She opened the book and flipped through the pages. Finally, she came to a loose paper and unfolded it. She handed it to Roxas.

The page had a large sketch of a necklace, much like the one Roxas had, yet it didn't have the rune next to the gem. There were plenty of scribbles on the page, but the one that caught Roxas's eye was one that said, "Burns those who are empty, and weakens those who aren't whole." There was a note below it. "Nobody."

"What's this mean?" Roxas asked, pointing to the single word. "Why's it written there?"

Olette pulled out another handwritten page. "According to this, it's a person without a heart, that's empty." She pointed to a picture of a strange white creature. It had a zipper that might have been meant to keep its mouth shut, and long tentacle-like arms. It was all too familiar with Roxas, like he'd seen one before. "It says when a person with a strong heart is turned into a Heartless, their "spirits" become Nobodies. Unlike Heartless, which ironically are whole, Nobodies are incomplete. There's another thing here that says Nobodies can be created in other ways, but it's not too specific.

"This talks about the Heartless things I mentioned." Olette revealed another sketch with notes. "It says here 'They are created from the evil in a heart, not the darkness like most people assume. Darkness is not always bad, just as light isn't always good'."

"What does that mean though?" Roxas took this page and read it to himself. Most of the notes referred to page numbers. "What's that book about?"

"Legends, if you can believe it. Someone thought they were the truth and wrote all kinds of things in the margins! Look!" Olette flipped to another page. Different lines were underlined and arrows were drawn everywhere. Most of it was questions, like "How was the Keyblade actually created?" or "What was the date of this?", but as Roxas watched over Olette's shoulder, another story came up and the person who'd owned it had written "untrue".

"Wonder who would waste so much time writing about this stuff?" Hayner groaned. "Why are **_WE_** wasting our time on this stuff? Someone was just a little insane!"

Carefully, Roxas accepted the text from Olette and held it in his lap. The book was much heavier than it had appeared. _'How could she have carried this all day?' _Roxas thought to himself. He flipped to the back cover, hoping for the possibility of a name. Nothing was there. With a sigh, Roxas was about to hand it back when he noticed something odd. He pulled a small tab that was attached to the inside of the back cover. More documents fell out.

These were lists of some sort. He skimmed through them quickly. The first was titled "Organization". Reading down the list, Roxas tried to figure out what each number meant. Finally, he reached Axel's name. "Hey! Guys! Take a look at this!" he cried, still reading. He gasped when he read the final name: Roxas.

The name was scratched out in a hurry, but it was still legible. Why was his name on the list? Glancing at the other archive, he realized his name was also on the bottom of that one, but not squiggled out. The title of that list was "Keyblade".

"Roxas's on both of them!" Hayner cried out in surprise.

"No he's not. See? His name is crossed out here." Olette carefully inspected the papers. "What would Axel and Roxas have in common that Roxas doesn't have anymore...?" she thought out loud.

"Does it matter?" inquired Pence. "This is just weird." His watch beeped. "I gotta head home guys. Later." He stood up and went to the door leading to the gears and elevator.

"Yeah, it's getting late..." Olette sighed. "Roxas, do you want to borrow this?" She offered the book to him.

"Thanks." Taking it from her gratefully, Roxas followed Pence through the door.

* * *

Roxas lay down on his bed with a groan. He was worn out from all the shopping. With a small smile, he glanced over at all the things he'd gotten, minus the pajamas he was now wearing.

A lamp brightened the room a lot more. It had a large blue sphere that gave off a watery light, as if it were sun passing through waved. A ring of fish surrounded the light, slowly moving with the flickering light. Pence had had to get it for him, since it seemed perfect for Roxas.

A clock now sat on the dresser at the foot of the bed. It had a flashing star on the top that added more light to the room. The coolest part of it was that you could program what alarm you wanted. Roxas had already taped himself shouting "Wake up!" for when he had to go to school in a week with Hayner and the others.

The room was starting to feel a little less foreboding and more comfortable to Roxas. Closing his eyes, he recalled Axel's distant voice. _"That's not true!"_ it shouted. _"I'd miss you."_ When had he heard Axel say that? From what Roxas could tell from the meeting, the pyro hadn't been very sentimental. Stifling a yawn, Roxas rolled onto his side and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

That's it for this chappy! I hope that you liked it! Thank you for reading!

Word Count? 4,485


	4. Struggle Tournament

**Chapter 4: Struggle Tournament**

Must... update... fic...

Riku: As you can see—er—read, Sailorstar has been unable to STOP thinking about this fic. If you wish to get her to update something else, like the next issue on her list, **Trapped in Nightmares**, I suggest telling her a nightmare Kairi can have. Currently, she's thinking bugs, like bees...

Sora: She can't think of anyway to continue it. Writer's block, I think.

Riku: It's not writer's block if she can come up with ideas for other fics.

Me: Anywho, enjoy the chappy!

* * *

Roxas rolled out of bed with a groan. Today was the Struggle Battle. Although Hayner and everyone told him the rules, they'd neglected to mention that the battles were two days _after_ he'd signed up. He had practically no time to prepare. With a sigh, he pulled on some clean clothes, the outfit he'd liked at the store. Looking into the mirror, he realized how silly the clothes really were. "Like a clown," he muttered, dully.

"'Morning," Hayner greeted as he wandered downstairs. Unlike the day before, where he'd seemed half-asleep, he was up and ready for anything. "Good luck at the tournament."

"Think I stand a chance?" inquired Roxas, nibbling on some toast. The food tasted like cardboard, though. Even though Hayner was being a lot nicer to him, Roxas still had the feeling that he'd be pounded.

"If you fight Vivi, you'll do fine."

Roxas had heard this plenty of times. Maybe he could stand a chance in the tournament.

"If you're finished, can we go? I don't wanna be late! Last year, Seifer won, but I'm ready for him this time!" Hayner was tapping his foot impatiently. He really was psyched for this tournament.

Roxas nodded slowly and followed. _'Please let me fight Vivi first round!'_ he prayed silently when they'd reached the Sandlot.

"Now, we've drawn the names of the competitors, folks!" announced Sid with a grin. He had a brace on his ankle, but nothing as bad as to need crutches. "Few people signed up this year, so it's going straight to the finals! This year we have our old favorites Hayner, Vivi, and Setzer," there were huge cheers for the tall man with silver-blue hair, "and a newbie, Roxas! Who will get a chance to take on last year's champion, Seifer?" There were cheers and screams for Setzer.

"First up is the Newb Roxas against our past champion, Setzer!" He pointed from Roxas to the other man.

"I want a fair fight," said the man from the other day. "Good luck, Roxas. You too, Setzer."

"Save the good luck for someone who'll need it," Setzer said smugly.

"Good luck, Setzer!" Olette shouted when she heard his comment. "You'll need it!"

Roxas felt his ears turn red. He nervously held the foam sword in his hands.

"The Struggle Rules are simple. Hit the opponent and pick up the colored orbs they drop to earn points," Sid said into the microphone. "Now, let's..."

"STRUGGLE!" the crowd shouted in response. Apparently, even if no one would fight, they still enjoyed a good match. Maybe they were just there to watch Roxas embarrass himself...

"Hey, how about you throw the match?" Setzer questioned. "You don't stand a chance against me, and I can make it worth your while."

Getting into a fighting stance, Roxas shook his head. "I'd like to try, thank you very much."

"Fair enough. Don't say I didn't give you a chance." Setzer lifted his foam blade as well.

"Already going at it! Amazing!" Sid bellowed. "All right, 3... 2... 1... STRUGGLE!"

Setzer didn't wait. He rushed at Roxas and went to hit him. This guy wasn't kidding! In desperation, Roxas flung the sword into space between him and Setzer, but was knocked back. "Simply amazing! Roxas blocked Setzer's attack!"

Stumbling slightly from stopping all of Setzer's blows, Roxas fell to the ground. The crowd roared in amazement. They'd all been expecting him to lose by that point. As Setzer's blade came down, Roxas saw an opening. He floundered a dodge, but all the same hit Setzer hard in the back.

An awed silence fell on the crowd as Setzer stood up after the hit. Then, everyone started cheering for Roxas. "The tables have turned! Now the score is Roxas one-hundred, Setzer eighty!"

Roxas dashed around the stage, not caring that he probably looked like an idiot. 110, 115... His score just kept rising as he snatched the spheres off of the ground. He tripped, and was about to be hit by Setzer, when the buzzer signaled the end of the match.

"That was a wonderful match, dudes and dudettes! A few more seconds, and Roxas might have been pounded! Final score: Roxas 118, Setzer eighty-two!"

Obviously annoyed by his loss, Setzer trudged away, apparently still handsome among his weeping fangirls. On the other hand, Roxas was shocked. He only realized he'd won when Hayner, Pence, and Olette ran over to him and gave him big hugs. "Congrats!"

When they'd been shooed off the stage, Sid continued his announcements. "Next is Hayner and Vivi! This is a very familiar pairing from last year, right folks?"

A roar came from the fans once again as Hayner and Vivi entered the arena. The portly man who'd signed Roxas up was telling them both to fight fair and to do a good job. Finally, the battle began.

"Vivi's really gotten better this year," Pence commented as Vivi dodged yet another of Hayner's wild swings. "I guess Raijin and Fujin training him have helped."

Hayner parried one of Vivi's blows and was now picking up a bunch of the sphere's Vivi dropped as a result. Roxas couldn't stop watching. Hayner was an expert compared to his unorthodox fighting skills.

"Doesn't Fujin take Tai Chi or something?" Pence inquired behind Roxas.

"Yeah, and she's been teaching Vivi last time I checked. Maybe that's why he's so tough now!" Olette was applauding because Vivi hit Hayner. Hayner recovered quickly and struck with a swing of his own.

The clock ran out. "The winner is Hayner, with a score of 160 to thirty-five! My favorite customer won the match! After the intermission, it will be Hayner vs. the Miracle Newb, Roxas!"

Sid hopped off the announcing platform, landing right next to the group. "Dude, awesome fight! The next will be even more exciting!"

"Who you gonna cheer for?" inquired Hayner.

"Hmmm... I can't, because I'm the announcer. I'll be rooting for both of you guys when the mic 'accidentally' switches off, though. Good lu—" he stopped.

"Dude, you ok?" Hayner waved a hand in front of Sid's face. "You look pale..."

Sid gazed up at him with empty eyes. "I'm fine, Dude..." he responded, almost zombie-like.

Suddenly, Roxas's head felt like it would split open. What was happening? _"Zexion! Zexion stay out of Roxas's head!" _he heard Axel's distant voice shout in his head. The scene in front of him flashed to a dark alley, where Axel was ready to slug a man with silver bangs in his face.

"_Who said I was in his head?" Zexion waved calmly to Roxas, who was just standing there blankly. Roxas blinked and stared around the place. "Using someone as a puppet isn't the same as reading their mind."_

"_I don't care! Roxas, get over here before that idiot does something to you again."_

Roxas shook his head, trying to clear his mind. What was that? A memory?

"You okay?" Pence asked.

"Yeah..." Roxas muttered, straightening up. He stared straight at Sid, and realized what was happening. "Where's Zexion?"

Though Hayner, Pence, and Olette had no idea what he was talking about, Sid cocked his head. "Why would I tell you?"

"Because I want to know."

A black portal, much like the one Axel had left through, appeared. "Hmph. I was curious when you'd figure it out, Number Thirteen," stated the black-cloaked figure who stepped out.

Confused, Roxas took a nervous step back. He knew Zexion's name, but nothing else. When had he even met him? "I'm not a number..." he corrected, but his voice almost failed him.

Zexion nodded to the many people surrounding them, and every one of them reached out and grabbed Roxas. "Right... Of course. I'll see to it that you get one back at the base, then."

Yet another black portal appeared, and Axel came out of this one. This time, Axel was not grinning like a proud jerk. "Zexion! You get back to base! The Superior wants to see you about this!"

Hardly batting an eye at the command, Zexion said, "I'm carrying out orders. Don't interrupt." He reached out to take Roxas from the people he'd turned into minions.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Axel warned, but it was obvious he didn't think his teammate would listen. "Don't say I didn't warn you." He pulled off his one glove, and waved with his bare hand at Roxas. Large blisters covered it, and he mouthed, "Nice necklace. Didn't know I could get burned by anything anymore."

The necklace! Of course! Zexion couldn't touch Roxas if he wore it. Still, Roxas struggled against his captors.

"Leave him alone!" Hayner shouted, about to slug the silver-haired man.

With a flick of the wrist, Hayner froze in mid punch. "So sorry, but I don't want to deal with you." Zexion grabbed Roxas's arm, but jumped back in pain. "What?"

"I tried to warn you. Boy has a protective spell on him or something from that Darkling witch, What's-her-face." Axel sighed. "Now, I'd go back before they kick our butts. Unlike you, I don't really want to be killed." He disappeared in a dark portal.

Zexion glanced at Roxas. "I'll be back, and you won't escape then." He vanished into his own gateway.

Everything happened all at once. The people were going about like they'd never been controlled, and Sid finished his sentence, like he hadn't been interrupted. "I'd get something to drink before the match starts."

Without a word, Roxas turned to his friends. "Do you know what that was all about? 'cause I sure don't," Pence whispered.

"How'd you know who that guy was?" Hayner snapped. "I mean, he tried to kidnap you!"

"I don't know... I knew his name, but nothing else about him..." Roxas stared at the ground, as if the answers were written underneath his feet. He felt someone tugging the bottom of his shirt.

The six-year-old he'd met a few days before on the train was standing next to him, wide-eyed. Today she was wearing a one-piece sleeveless dress and a large sun hat. "I didn't know Mr. Roxas was fighting too! I woulda got here sooner!"

"Mr. Roxas?" Hayner howled with laughter. When he finally stopped, he'd forgotten all about the issue at hand. "Who's she? Your girlfriend?"

The girl kicked Hayner hard in the ankle. "Don't be mean to Mr. Roxas, bully!" She grinned up at Roxas. "I hope you beat Mr. Bully!"

Olette was giggling. "Well, you can sit with us while we watch the Struggle. My name's Olette and this is Pence. Mr. Bully here is our friend Hayner."

"All right!" She sat down on the bench next to Pence and Olette. "Go win, Mr. Roxas!"

"I'll try..." Roxas replied.

"Who will win and get the chance to take on Seifer? Hayner," Side paused so that everyone could get their cheers in, "or Roxas?" An equally overpowering roar came from the mass of spectators. "Well, it's hard to say who has more support for this match. Ready? STRUGGLE!"

Roxas ducked, narrowly dodging a heavy blow from Hayner. He parried the next with a solid horizontal slash. Hayner was stumbled for a moment, but was attacking once he'd regained balance. Roxas dived out of the way, collecting a bunch of spheres at once. He rolled out of the way of a slam from Hayner.

Roxas scrambled up and hopped just out of range of Hayner. He then dived back in and jabbed his friend hard in the side. When he'd snatched up the orbs, he kept to the outside of the area.

Hayner scored a hit, knocking Roxas breathless. With a groan, Roxas collapsed, but still managed to block another swing. With a grin, Roxas used the force of one blow to knock himself back without taking the hit, like he had unwittingly with Setzer. He kept running around like an idiot, until the end of the match.

"Time's up! Final score: 101 to ninety-seven, Roxas wins!" Sid yelled at the top of his lungs. "Dudes, you've just witnessed the biggest upset in history!"

Seifer ambled in from the alley when Sid said, "Now he'll take on Seifer," as if on cue. "Well, let's get this over with," he said, pointing his weapon at Roxas.

"Let's get ready to rumble!" Sid said, but the man in charge bopped him in the head. "What, I'm not allowed to quote Wrestle Mania? Fine! Anyway, let's get the title match underway!"

Even though the starting bell rang, Seifer just stood there, taking Roxas off guard. He had thought all of the good fighters charged, and he'd used that against the others. Still, Roxas braced himself for a powerful blow.

"It seems neither want to move!" Sid bellowed. "Who will make the first move?"

With alarming speed, Seifer raced toward Roxas, and swung hard at him. Flinching, Roxas caught the blow with his own foam sword. His tactics from before would definitely not work here.

Dodging to the side, Roxas searched for an opening, a break in the attack, _anything_. But nothing seemed to work. Neither had lost any points yet, but Roxas knew he couldn't last much longer. He was flung back by the force of a blow he'd blocked and landed on his back. Wincing, he sat up. _'Should I give up before I get hurt anymore...?'_ he thought as he shakily stood up.

"Something's wrong! Is Roxas going to throw in the towel?"

With a quick shake of his head, Roxas got back into fighting position. He could handle him, right?

Seifer jumped into the air and pointed his sword at Roxas. If that hit Roxas, he'd be finished! At top speed, Roxas leapt backwards, and slashed Seifer hard when he'd landed. He switched to a combo that made Seifer drop all of the spheres he had. With a grin, Roxas rushed around the platform, picking up any sphere he saw. Meanwhile, Seifer was on all fours, recovering from the heavy blows.

"I—I can't believe it! For the first time in Struggle History, a newbie beat the champion with a _perfect score_!"

With a broad smile, Roxas fell to his knees. He could barely stand up after his fight. Once again, he had done exceedingly well at something and couldn't quite remember how he did it. It was just like the skateboard.

"Is Mr. Roxas, okay?" the small girl asked. She was the first next to him, then Hayner and Olette, and lastly Pence. "Are you tired?"

With a laugh, Roxas answered, "Yes. Man, I'm really thirsty too!"

"No surprise there!" Olette said with a giggle. She held out a water bottle. "Figured one of you'd need it."

"Nice job, Roxas!" Hayner congratulated, helping his friend up. "I never would have guessed you'd be so good at this! Especially after the fight with me!"

Seifer walked over with the trophy. The trophy was the coolest Roxas had ever seen, with four blue swirls, each ending with colored spheres. Seifer also had a belt hanging loosely on his should since his hands were full. It was gold with four colored beads on it.

"I shouldn't be the one giving these to you, though," he said, handing them over to Roxas.

"Huh?"

"Sora, a boy who used to hang around Twilight Town every so often, really should be the one, since he's a lot stronger than I am. Since he's not here, I'll give it to you in his absence." Seifer gave a quick nod of congratulations and left the Sandlot.

"Let's give it up one more time for the coolest dude of them all, ROXAS!"

* * *

Roxas was sitting on the couch in the Usual Spot, catching his breath. The tournament had really worn him out. The others were talking in low voices about something, but he was too tired to here. Glancing at the trophy he got an idea.

Olette turned toward him. "Hey, Roxas, what do you think of—"

"Catch!" He threw the yellow orb that had been on the trophy to her. He pulled the green one off and threw it to Pence and the red for Hayner. He yanked the blue one off for himself. "Let's share the trophy, huh?"

Hayner held the crystal into the air so that the light lit it up as it passed through. "Wow... Thanks..."

Roxas grinned, but his head started throbbing again, and held it in his hands. Olette ran over, worried about Roxas. "Are you all right? Do you have a headache?"

"It happened before too... When Sid was being controlled, my head really started to hurt, and it was like I remembered something. That's how I knew who Zexion was." The headache went away, and he glanced up. "It's like... I gave you those crystals before..."

"Sora gave us the trophy to hang onto, but that's the most I can say about ever getting near the things," said Pence.

With a shrug, Roxas asked, "So, what were you saying before, Olette?"

"Oh! Uh... I was thinking we could celebrate by having a picnic tomorrow! We could go to Sunset Station and eat lots of junk food!"

"I'm all for that!" Hayner called, licking his lips. "Olette makes the _best_ chocolate fudge. Make sure to bring some!"

"Don't worry, I will. We'll all pitch in to bring something. Roxas, Hayner, you guys get the drinks. Water, soda, whatever you guys want. Just make sure you bring some iced tea for me. Pence, you bring plates. I'll handle the food!"

Roxas nodded. With a yawn, he said, "How about we get some ice cream?"

"Yeah! That sounds great!" Hayner was even more excited about the idea of Sea Salt Ice cream.

"It's your turn to buy it, Hayner," reminded Pence. "Olette bought it last time, and I did before that."

"Aw man!" Hayner groaned, trudging out of the hideout. "I'll be right back!"

With a faint smile, Roxas pulled out the book that Olette had lent him. "Here it is!" he said, pointing to the list titled "Organization". "I knew it! Look! Zexion's on the list, and so is Axel! I wonder what the 'Organization' is...?"

"Well, they aren't too organized," commented Hayner, coming back. "It looked like Axel and Zexion were ready to strangle each other, and then there was him not knowing about that necklace you have. That's just weird..."

Roxas accepted the ice cream gratefully. After he licked it a few times, he muttered, "I wish I knew what was going on... It seems like it has a lot to do with me..."

"We can ask Sora when and if he ever comes back," mentioned Olette.

Hayner bit into the top of his ice cream. "What do you mean _if_ he comes back? Of course we'll see him again!"

"But it's been so long! A couple of months have gone by since then! He probably doesn't even remember us." Pence licked up the part of his ice cream that was already starting to melt.

"Don't be pessimistic, Pence!" Olette pointed an accusing finger at him. "Sora would _never_ forget about us! Don't forget he was crying before he got on that weird train."

"Weird train?" Roxas tried to think. He'd seen a weird train once, hadn't he? "A blue one with stars and moons and something that looks like a wizard hat?"

All three of them stared at Roxas. "How'd you know what it looked like?" Olette cried.

"Was it at the station?" Pence asked.

"Can we ride on it?" Hayner asked.

"Uh... I—I don't know!" Roxas shouted, waving his hands in front of him. "I don't know where I saw it! I just remember seeing it!"

"Let's all just go home. I'm tired, and Roxas looks like death warmed over," said Olette. "I'm shocked you aren't sleepy either, Hayner. You had a hard time against Vivi _and_ Roxas."

Hayner glared at her, and then yawned loudly. "Okay, we'll call it a day. Come on, Roxas. Let's go."

* * *

That's it for this chapter! What did you think? Thank you for reading and all that other stuff!

Riku: She's had a bit too much sugar. Please ignore her hyperness. Just review and shut her up.

Roxas: I want a vacation. **_PLEASE_** give her a good, funny/scary dream for Kairi. All she can think of are giant, mutated bees...

Me: Anywho, later!

Word count? 3,798


	5. The Truth

**Chapter 5: The Truth**

Thank you for your help with Kairi's nightmare for my other fic!

Roxas: But you didn't even bother with the chappy... I thought I'd get a break...

You **_DID_** get a break, even if I didn't update the other. I just need to find a way to make the chappy now. I have a nightmare, but I need to work it out. YAY AND THANK YO U TO JUPITER-LIGHTNING! Anywho, here's the chappy!

* * *

Roxas sat up blearily and glanced out the window. The sun was just above the horizon, making the goldenrod colored walls seem to sparkle like treasure. Not a cloud in sight: perfect for a picnic!

Jumping out of his bed, Roxas pulled on his clothes from the day before. For whatever reason, he felt the most comfortable in it. Plus, Mrs. Yoake had washed it the night before because it was a little muddy. He dashed down the stairs two at a time. He couldn't wait for the picnic.

Hayner was on his heels. "Looks like I'm not the only one excited," Hayner commented as they burst through the doorway at the bottom of the stairs into the kitchen. "Olette said to bring some iced tea. I'll handle that much. Roxas, think you can get some ice out of the freezer?"

Nodding, Roxas handed one of the ice trays to Hayner. "So, we ready to go?"

Grinning broadly, Hayner snatched an empty shopping bag to put the container of tea in. "Yep, let's get going."

As Roxas hopped onto his skateboard, he asked, "That Axel guy... He keeps popping up everywhere. Why do you think he does that?"

Without much thought, Hayner replied sarcastically, "Well, next time he shows up, we'll have to ask."

Though Roxas knew his friend wasn't serious, the suggestion might have been the only way to know. Still... "What do you think?"

"Olette probably would have a better idea. She's the smart one of the group, if you can't tell. Pence is good with electronics and fixing things and I'm a decent fighter, but Olette has even proven the teachers at our school wrong! If that isn't shocking, I don't know what is."

As they continued on their way, Roxas couldn't help but speed up. The others finally didn't think of him as an outcast—a problem. He finally had some friends! He only slowed as they reached Station Heights. Olette and Pence were waiting for them outside.

"So, we ready to go?" Olette asked, accepting the jug of iced tea from Hayner. "The train will be here soon, so let's hurry!"

They all boarded. Thankfully, the local line was free. The station pulled away from them, and then there was a rush of the buildings passing by.

Amazed, Roxas stared out of the window. He'd fallen asleep on the train before, so he definitely wanted to see everything now. He was almost sorry that the train slowed to enter the station.

"Sunset Station!" called the conductor. Hayner's dad entered from one of the doors. "Have fun on the picnic, all right?"

"Yeah, whatever, Dad." Hayner jumped out of his seat as soon as the train came to a stop. "Let's get to Sunset Hill!"

Hayner led the way, with Olette carrying a picnic basket and Pence carrying the blanket following, and Roxas bringing up the rear. They had to tell him on occasion to stop looking around, too. Once they reached the hill, Pence laid out the blanket and Olette set down the basket.

"Hey, have you ever heard the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town?" Pence inquired as he grabbed a sandwich from the basket. When Roxas shook his head, Pence continued, "Well, last year for summer homework, we searched the town for all kinds of rumors. The steps from the station that we walked down supposedly count differently going up than going down."

"That was Rai counting wrong!" Hayner laughed.

"What about the balls coming out of the alley?" Pence snapped back.

"Someone threw a ball against the wall and it bounced back. No one was there, so people thought a ghost threw it through the wall," corrected Olette.

"There's a ghost in the cave," Pence said, uselessly.

"Vivi training," scoffed Hayner.

Pence glared. "Hey! I'm the one telling the story! Quit interrupting! Anyway, there was a bag that was up here that moved around when you watched it! Turns out, that was just a dog trapped in a sack. You could see your doppelganger in the waterfall just down the street from here, but that was just a really clear reflection."

"That's only five, though..." said Roxas, trying to figure out what the other two were.

"The others are the freakiest, though! There's a ghost in the mansion just outta town. We're pretty sure that there's a draft in there moving the curtains, but there's a big computer below and all this other creepy stuff! We haven't seen Sora since he went to 'The Other Twilight Town'—"

Confused, Roxas asked, "Other Twilight Town?"

"That's what we thought the computer in the basement of the mansion led to, but Sora never came back to tell us..." Olette said, sipping her tea. "We had some pretty good proof though."

"The last one," butted in Pence, "is the Ghost Train. There's no conductor, no passengers, no nothing! Supposedly, it caries you to your doom!"

"We thought it was the train Sora left on; the blue one with the stars and stuff," explained Hayner, "but Sora came back in one piece."

"I wonder where it leads." Olette pulled out a huge brick of fudge. "Well, let's eat some snacks, huh?"

As they ate, they continued to talk about anything, from the tournament to what they thought the Heartless and Nobodies were. The sun was starting to get low over the horizon. Olette ran over to the bench near the edge and gestured for the others to join her too.

"Amazing..." Roxas muttered as the sun dipped over the glowing green hills. They seemed to burst into flame, but in a good way.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" interrupted a cold voice. They all turned to see Seifer standing behind them. "A party?" He paused, glaring from one face to the next, then stopping on Hayner.

"Why does looking at you always tick me off?" he growled.

"Maybe it's destiny," replied Hayner, returning the death glare.

Snickering to himself, Seifer said, "If that's the case, then let's be friends. I've never been one to cooperate with destiny."

Pence rolled his eyes. "Since when have you been one to cooperate with anything?"

Seifer turned away and stalked off like an overly proud cat. "You know," he said, pausing, "strange things have been going on again. That guy with the white hair at the Struggle... Who was he?"

Thinking quickly, Roxas answered, "Don't know. He was a freak, whoever he was, though."

Seifer continued walking. "Be careful then. It seems to me like that 'freak' was after you."

Roxas gulped nervously and turned to the others. "I think he's right, too..." Why had the conversation sounded familiar?

There was a deafening silence, and then footsteps. They all spun around to see the little girl from the day before, her hair in a long braid and her eyes slightly empty. She took Roxas hand and started pulling him to the path down the slope, not saying a word.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, not moving. When he didn't get a response, he glanced back at his friends for some help.

"Let's go with her," Olette suggested, packing up her things. "It could be important!"

The girl led them toward the station, not speaking at all. It was eerie, being tugged along by their small friend. Once they'd reached their destination, though, she hesitated. On the tracks was the "Ghost Train" that Sora had ridden. She let go of Roxas's hand.

"This what you wanted to show us?" Roxas asked, kneeling down so he had a better view of the child's face. "The Ghost Train?"

The girl didn't respond. Instead, she dashed for the train's open doors. With a burst of speed, Roxas went after her, but as he entered the train, he realized the girl had vanished like a ghost. He turned to get off of the train, but the doors were already starting to close.

Hayner, Pence, and Olette dashed toward the doors, just barely getting through before they slammed shut. "Everyone okay?" Hayner asked, breathing heavily.

Everyone confirmed that they weren't hurt. The train started with a jerk, making Olette fall into Hayner and Pence land completely on the ground. Roxas managed to grab one of the railings and regained his balance.

"What do we do now?" Pence inquired, staring out the window. The bright green hills were rushing past. "It looks like we're headed to the beach."

The scenery suddenly flashed to an endless night sky with huge lights hanging in the sky. Olette gasped. "The Aurora Borealis!"

"The what?" Hayner cocked his head slightly in confusion.

"Do you ever pay attention in school? That's the Northern Lights!" Olette knelt down on one of the benches so that she could watch the sky closely. "It's beautiful..."

Roxas sat down next to her. He leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes. "Wake me up if anything happens, all right?"

"You're tired already?" Pence asked.

Roxas grunted a yes. Olette seemed to be the only person to understand. "All right, Roxas. I'll make sure to if something's going on."

Thanking her quietly, Roxas drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Roxas opened his eyes and was blinded by a bright sun. Hadn't the sun just been setting? He sat up and brushed the sand off of his shoulders and out of his hair. Wait, sand? Staring around in disbelief, Roxas found himself on an island of some sort.

There was a scent of palm trees and sea salt in the air. Just off shore, a smaller island with only a tree waded in the surf. On his other side and behind him, Roxas saw large tree houses. Where was he?

There was some chattering as three people rounded the corner. The first, a boy with spiky brown hair and deep blue eyes, was wearing a black outfit with red packs on the sides for pockets strapped on with yellow buckles, outlined in white embroidery—or that's what Roxas's untrained eye would call it—and dark blue underneath. He wore a black hooded T-shirt that zipped up and a necklace with a crown charm. The major thing that attracted attention, though, was the boy's huge feet.

On his left was a girl about the same height as Olette. She had cherry red hair and eyes that matched the boy's. She was wearing a pink skirt and a partially zipped up pink strapless top over a white tank top. She had a necklace with a small bead dangling on it. Her white and pink sneakers were laced so that the black string went through two holes, and the rest snaked around her ankles. She was extremely graceful, possibly a dancer.

On the boy's right was a boy about a foot taller than him. He looked as if he were almost out of high school; too old to be hanging around the others. He was wearing dark blue shorts that went past his knees and was wearing a tight sleeveless shirt. Unlike the others, he seemed to have just come out of the ocean. His long, silver hair was wet, and some salt water was drying on his face. He'd thrown on some shoes, at least. He stopped, eyeing Roxas dangerously with his steely blue eyes.

"What's wrong, Riku?" the boy with spiky hair asked.

"You don't see—nevermind." Riku was still watching Roxas closely. "You're pretty useless, Sora."

"Hey! Just because you have better eyes than me and Kairi, doesn't mean we're useless!" Sora snapped.

The girl, Kairi, giggled. "Stop it, you two. So, Riku has to change back into his normal clothes, and than we go to the Secret Place."

"I still say we ignore that note. How do we know for sure that it was from Mickey?" Riku asked, shaking his head so flecks of water came out of his damp hair. "What if the letter's a fake and Xemnas or someone's trying to trick us?"

"It has the King's seal," Sora reminded him. "We should at least take a look. Besides"—his beamed proudly—"I'm the Keyblade master!"

Riku rolled his eyes and muttered, "All right. Fine. Let's just get going." They headed toward the docks, but Riku stopped and muttered to Roxas, "I'd be careful if I were you. Who are you anyway?"

"They can't see me?"

"No. I'm only getting a fuzzy shape, but that's better than them."

"I'm—" but before Roxas could answer, the beach around him started swirling, colors leaking into others. Everything seemed to be made of dust and the wind was blowing it away from Roxas.

* * *

Startled, Roxas awoke. Olette was seated a few feet away, staring out of the window at the Aurora Borealis. "Anything happen?"

"Nope," she replied "Just more of the same."

There was a sudden lurch as the train started to slow. Everyone was sitting down, though, so no one fell over. As the trained halted at its destination, the group glanced at each other nervously. No one wanted to leave, in case they got stranded.

Taking a deep breath, Roxas stepped out of the door. Nothing happened, so he gestured for the others to follow.

The place they'd just entered was like an island floating in the sky. There was dark green grass underneath their feet and many shrubs that were well cared for. The castle in front of them was the strangest sight any of them had seen though. It was tall, made of a pale brick, and crooked at best. It seemed to be held up by magic, but that wasn't as unbelievable as the floating patch of land only reachable by train. Beyond the edges of the floating oasis were fluffy clouds tinted pink by the setting sun. The crests of the warm, sunlit hills just barely peaked over the sea of clouds.

Suddenly, the train behind them dissolved into golden lights. "There goes our ride," Hayner commented nervously.

"Should we go in?" Pence inquired as they looked at the turrets towering over them. "I mean, we need to ask whoever's inside how to get back to Twilight Town."

Without hesitation, Roxas pushed open the large doors to reveal a small room with the beginning of a spiral staircase to the left of the door. What kind of place was this?

Olette put a foot on the first stair tentatively. "Apparently, we have to go up to find anyone," she whispered. The place obviously scared her just as much as it did Roxas.

They all nodded and climbed the steps, pausing before a huge disc of light. Nothing was on the other side of it; well, there were more steps, but they couldn't get past the large green-blue barrier. Carefully, Roxas pushed his hand through the warm portal, and then flinched back quickly. Not from pain, but from a sudden feeling that his fingers had been separated from his body for a split second.

"Should we keep going?" asked Hayner, watching Roxas's expressions.

"I think we should go back out and knock," suggested Pence. He was shaking from fear!

Taking another deep breath to steady his nerves, Roxas dashed through the portal. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was on a whole knew staircase. He poked his head back through the portal to see his friends shocked faces and said, "Check this out! It's amazing!"

The new place had sparkling brown walls far from where the group was now standing. Olette peered over the edge and gave a frightened squeak. The gold mist below them hid the far floor of the tower, while it was impossible to see the ceiling of the room. Other stairs were above them, leading to other doors. Their stairway ended with a blue door with a gold stair embedded into the wood.

Hayner shoved the door open. The hinges needed oiling.

The chamber on the other side was lit by a bunch of glowing stars on the walls and dark ceiling. Little statues of stars periodically took a spot in front of the wall.

"Cozy, huh?" stuttered Olette, trying to lighten the mood.

"Cozy? More like the guy was obsessed!" Hayner corrected with a laugh.

There was rumble like a low roar, and a bunch of black creatures with antennae melted out of the ground. Twitching as they moved, the creatures started to surround and inched closer to the group.

"Heartless!" Olette breathed. She was shivering, as if the room had become a frozen wasteland. "What do we do now?"

Roxas felt lightheaded. Once the haze had cleared from his vision, all of the Heartless were gone, and he was standing away from his friends. Two blades were in his hands: the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion. "So it wasn't a dream then?" he whispered to himself.

"That was amazing!" Pence shouted, clapping Roxas on the back. Roxas stumbled because of it, and dropped the two Keyblades. They disappeared the moment the metal clinked on the ground.

"What was _that_****?" Hayner was next to Roxas.

"Keyblades?" Olette asked nobody unparticular, retrieving the large book from her bag. Roxas had given it back a few days before. "They have a picture of a Keyblade called the 'Kingdom Key', but it says their shapes and sizes may very."

Turning to the other door in the room, a green, grainy, wooden door with a gold arrow, Roxas gritted his teeth. "This place is freaky. Maybe we should get out of here..."

"But you beat those Heartless to a pulp!" Pence reminded him.

"I don't even know how I did it! I felt dizzy one minute, the next you guys are telling me I kicked Heartless butt!" Roxas complained. "I don't understand how it happened!"

Olette was lost in thought a minute, and then said slowly, "Maybe the Keyblades were just using you to beat the Heartless so no one would get hurt..."

"Does it matter?" Hayner was already walking through the next doorway.

They continued up the tower, going into a huge room with a moon theme. Nothing happened, so they gratefully continued to the next staircase.

Unlike the others, the stairs here weren't spiraling. It was a straight shot to another door, this one gold with a sparkling gold triangle. A woman with blonde hair and bangs hanging off like antennae sat in front of it, forlornly. She gazed up at them quickly. "Oh good! I thought I'd be waiting here forever!" she said, grinning. "I wanted to see the wizard, Yen Sid, but the door's locked."

Warily, Roxas took a good look at the woman. She was slender and very pretty, with emerald green eyes and pale skin. All the same, she gave him the goose bumps. "So, a wizard lives here?"

"That's right! Yen Sid, best in the world! He was the teacher of a king, you know." She seemed to be leading them on, but to what, Roxas couldn't tell.

"Here, let me try to open the door for you, Miss." Hayner tried to push the door open, but it was stuck. "Why—Won't—This—Thing—Open!"

The woman smiled smugly. "I tried that. It's locked, I think. If only someone had a key." She had one eye closed and the other constantly on Roxas.

Without warning, it came back to Roxas. This woman was a Nobody—Larxene! "What are you doing here, Larxene?"

She choked. "Why, you remembered little ol' me, Roxas?" she said, sarcasm dripping off every word. "What an honor! So, will you come with me?" She reached out to grab his shoulder.

She didn't know about the gem either! Roxas quickly retrieved it from under the collar of his shirt. As expected, Larxene covered her face with an arm. "What—? What is that?"

The stairs shuddered, and ice started climbing up Larxene's feet. She screeched like a banshee, and vanished into a dark portal. _'So you don't have to walk into them for portals to work,'_ thought Roxas.

"Hey! She was a Nobody?" Hayner said, surprised. "She wasn't wearing a black coat!" That was true. Larxene had been wearing a tank top that revealed her midriff and low-cut jeans that also revealed a lot of skin, but it was still obvious.

Pence tapped the door, and it creaked open. "Well, it's unlocked now."

Inside was the final room in the tower. The walls had aged yellow paint. Shelves hung all over, each filled to bursting with different books. A desk sat in the middle of the room in front of a large moon shaped window and smaller star shaped windows. In the tall chair behind the wooden table was a man that could never be mistaken for anything but a wizard.

The man was tall with graying hair and beard. He wore long blue robes with trailing sleeves and atop his head was a pointed hat with a moon and star on it. His beady eyes darted from Roxas, to Olette, to Hayner, to Pence, and then back to Roxas. "So you're the ones Varan's been expecting. My name is Yen Sid."

"Varan?" Olette sent a questioning glance over to Roxas but quickly made eye contact with Yen Sid again.

"Yes. She's an old friend of mine. She's in the room over there." He nodded to the gigantic olive-colored door. It seemed more like a wardrobe than an extra room.

"Was it you? The one who started freezing up that Nobody, Larxene." Roxas couldn't shake the feeling.

Yen Sid chuckled to himself. "Yes," he confirmed, "that was me. She was waiting out there for hours. I thought she'd get bored and leave, but then you all showed up. Waiting for you, I suppose."

"That was some amazing magic!" Olette cried out. "Can you teach me some?"

Yen Sid frowned. "Sadly, it might take years for me to teach you, and even then you might not learn a thing. I might be able to help you learn some magic, though. Talk to Varan and come back here. I'll have gifts for you and the other two."

Roxas's heart sank. By 'other two', he meant Hayner and Pence. He wasn't going to receive anything?

Yen Sid seemed to notice the sudden change in expression. "Don't worry, Varan has something for you, I think."

Inside the next room—Roxas had been right, thinking it was a Wardrobe—was a bunch of mirrors covered with white sheets to keep dust off the glass. There were huge windows with large, purple curtains, and a closet or two. In the center of the room sat a small table and a wooden chair.

A girl with long, raven black hair was sitting in the chair, calmly sipping tea from a dark blue teacup. She glanced up with her bright violet eyes, waved her hands in front of her, and set down the cup. Four, more comfortable looking chairs appeared in the air and landed with a dull thud. She cocked an eyebrow at them, waiting curiously for them to have a seat.

"A-are you Varan?" Roxas stammered. He had no idea what he'd been expecting, but it was definitely not a ten-year-old.

"Is there someone else in the room that could be Varan?" she inquired smoothly back. Her silky voice seemed familiar to Roxas, but he couldn't place from where.

"N-no..."

"Good. Now that you know who I am, would you mind introducing yourselves?" When Roxas was about to reply, she said, "I know who you are, Roxas, I meant your friends."

Roxas clamped his mouth shut as the others said their names. How could she know him? Was she a Nobody in disguise?

Varan smiled gently. "Roxas, may I have that necklace for a moment?" She took it, not giving Roxas a chance to ask why. It sparkled mischievously, but that was all. She handed it back with a sigh. "Well, it's gotten a mind of its own, all right. It'll only get stronger against Nobodies as time progresses.

"I was the one who synthesized that jewel. It's near impossible to find the ingredients to create it, and even harder to cast the spell. You'd never be able to find a Moogle skilled enough to make one. Lose it, and you'll never be able to replace it." Varan snapped her fingers, making more cups and teapot appear.

"Amazing..." Olette murmured, accepting the cup of warm, aromatic tea.

"Do you mind if we wait a little before we start talking? I'm waiting for someone else to help."

"You don't have to wait. I'm here," said a small, familiar voice. The little girl from Twilight Town strolled in, but she was different, somehow. Her hair, instead of being the original red, was now shifting to a dark blonde color. Her green eyes were changing to a bright gray-blue. She was wearing looser fitting clothes, but she was quickly getting bigger. When the transformation stopped, she was a tall, ten or eleven year old with a solemn expression.

"Oh, good." Varan conjured up another chair from nowhere, which the girl gratefully took. "This is Selena."

She smiled uneasily at Roxas and said to Varan, "They're going to Disney Castle. We don't have all the time in the world, sadly." Then, she turned to Roxas. "I don't have much time to explain everything to you, but you have the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion Keyblades. Can you summon them?"

Roxas blinked, confused. "How?"

Selena sighed, and continued. "Never mind. You'll figure it out eventually. It's not something you can teach. Anyway, Roxas, you've bumped into the Nobodies, right?"

"'Bumped into them'? They've been trying to kidnap him!" Hayner shouted aggressively.

Selena didn't flinch. "Then I'm glad I gave you that necklace. Anyway, do you know why they're after you?" When Roxas shook his head, she responded with, "Oh... This'll be difficult."

"Why?" Olette asked, taking a sip of her tea. Roxas tasted his own. It was sweet and a bit sour, but absolutely delicious.

"Well, he wouldn't understand what I'm talking about if he can't remember... If I tell him, he either won't believe me or get really upset by it." Selena took a sip of her own tea to calm herself a little. She didn't seem annoyed, but slightly disappointed.

"Then don't bother. I've been remembering a ton of stuff lately. You can tell me when I remember what I'm supposed to." Roxas tried to smile, but it was plainly false.

"The reason you've been recalling so much is because of the rune on the necklace. It's from an ancient language all of the worlds spoke when they were connected properly. There's a spell on it so that it will help you out." Seemingly brightening, she smiled. "At least it's working. So, let's go to Disney Castle. We have to hurry."

"Wait! Yen Sid said he had stuff for us!" Pence said. "He also said you guys had stuff for Roxas."

Selena gave Varan an accusing look, and Varan slapped her forehead. "Of course! I'm sorry, I forgot. Here."

Roxas accepted the small box and opened it. Inside was a small cloth pouch decorated with embroidered silver leaves. "It's a bag that can carry a million objects and never get any heavier or bigger."

"Thank you..." Roxas whispered, pocketing it.

When Roxas, Selena, and Varan joined the others, they'd already had their things passed out. Olette had gotten a long, spiraled stick. "A wand for you, and," the wand glowed red as Yen Sid spoke, "the spell Fire. Practice before you try to use it against a Heartless, all right?"

Hayner had a simple sword with a blue hand guard. "A sword that will never dull," explained Yen Sid. "You'll have to learn tricks with it yourself though. I've never swung a sword in my life."

Pence had a shield with a crescent moon and star on it. It seemed sturdy enough... "That shield has special magic on it. It will never break. You'd have to find someone to teach you to use it properly though. I think Goofy of Disney Castle knows all about wielding shields as a weapon, though," Yen Sid finished. "Now, be careful." Then, he added, "_All_**** of you."

There was a rumbling outside as a large white, gold, and red ship rose into the air. "I started your Gummi for you," Yen Sid said with a smile. "If you ever run into problems, feel free to come back to my castle."

Appreciating the offer, Roxas nodded. "Yeah, of course! Goodbye, Yen Sid!"

Varan led them to the Gummi ship, but Selena stayed behind. Yen Side gave her an inquisitor's eye. "You haven't told him yet, have you?"

Selena shook her head. "I don't think I have the heart to..." she said with a defeated laugh. "I wanted to tell him the truth, but I couldn't."

"You have plenty of heart, Lady Selena. You just need the courage to talk to him about his past and his new life."

Selena smiled, still defeated, and hurried after the others.

* * *

That's it for this chappy! I hope you liked it! READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE! Thank you! Buh-bye!


	6. The Memories Lost

**Chapter 6: The Memories Lost**

I updated something besides this, so now Roxas can't complain.

Roxas: Some vacation that was...

Me: Shut up, Roxas. Here's the chapter!

**I don't own KH, though I wish I did... I only own Selena and Varan. MINE (hugs character rights.)** Now you can't steal Varan or Selena! HA HA HA! Lol. Sugar and an Anime Con

* * *

Roxas sat in the cockpit on the floor. Since she hadn't expected them leaving so quickly, Selena had neglected to put more chairs in it. He didn't mind; the ship hardly moved.

"Roxas, think you can hit something for me?" Selena signaled to a small blue button. Busying herself with other switches, knobs, and dials, she didn't say anything else.

Shrugging, Roxas stood up and hit the tiny button on the panel. There was a loud whirring sound, and the walls of the cockpit faded away, making it possible to see all of the stars above, below, and anywhere else in space. The control panel was still there—so were the seats—but it felt like the entire group was floating through space.

"This is amazing!" Olette cried, running over to one wall. She put a hand on it, to make sure she didn't run into anything. "There are so many stars!"

"There are even more worlds out there," said Varan, messing with what looked like a miniature laptop. It was a deep purple with a strange symbol on the back. "It would take an eternity to see them all."

Hayner shrugged as he looked at the floor. "This is pretty cool. So how much longer 'til we reach Disney Castle?"

"At least another 2 hours," replied Selena, flipping a few other switches. The Gummi Ship seemed extremely difficult to fly, but Roxas supposed she was just showing off.

With a groan, Roxas leaned against the side of the room. The stars were pretty, and the worlds flashing by were cool, but he was bored. Roxas retrieved the pouch Varan had given him. It wouldn't hurt to look through.

The inside looked like the portal in Yen Sid's castle. He reached a hand tentatively into it and retrieved a few Potions and Hi Potions. There was a Mega Potion in the bag too. Apparently, Selena had foreseen him doing this, for she was smirking. He felt paper in the bottom, and pulled out a bunch of pictures.

Varan looked horrified by the drawings, but Selena's face betrayed no emotions. Roxas gazed at the sketches, confused. They were pretty good, but they were only sketches. One was a picture of a boy with spiky blond hair in a black coat in a place with blue skyscrapers. Another was of a girl with gold hair sitting in chair holding a sketchbook. Was this a self-portrait?

The last of the sketches was much newer than the others. This one was of the blond girl reaching a hand out to the boy from the other picture. A man in red was holding her back from reaching the boy.

Somehow, it triggered a memory. He couldn't remember who the man in red was, but he knew he hated him so much, he'd be willing to kill him. Roxas's eyes widened. Why would he want to murder someone? He didn't kill people! Shaking, he handed the pictures to Selena, who had her hand outstretched.

"I should have known she'd pull something like this..." Selena muttered. "Do you recognize any of these people? Be honest. What do you know about them?"

The others were listening now. Embarrassed, Roxas pointed to the man in red. "Him, I remember hating him enough to want to kill him. I wouldn't, would I?"

Selena's eyes clouded slightly when she heard this. "I don't know. Would you?" She didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "The man is named DiZ. It doesn't matter if you'd kill him or not, since he died a while ago."

"How'd he die?" inquired Pence. "I don't know him, but still..."

"There was a machine explosion. He died following his heart and being very brave."

"If following your heart can kill you, why'd he do it?" Hayner was watching closely.

Sighing, Selena said, "If you follow your heart, you'll have no regrets, no matter what happens. He was trying to save everyone, including some friends of yours."

"Oh, quit moping over him. He left this world with no regrets!" Varan snapped, making them all jump.

"I thought you were over that," said Selena, still saddened by talking about DiZ.

"Yeah, I'd get over one of my friends getting a house dropped on her and the other being melted," scoffed Varan. She continued to mutter about how it was the fault of a pink fairy in a bubble, confusing the group even more. Only Selena seemed used to this.

Olette stood. "There's something you're not telling us. What did this guy do to get Roxas to hate him so much? Why would Roxas want to kill him?"

Selena's expression was unreadable once again. "Roxas will have to remember on his own. I can't help you."

Frowning, Roxas pointed to the blond girl. "The boy in these pictures are probably me, but who's this girl? Is she the one who drew these?"

Selena smiled weakly. "I told you, I can't tell. I swear I'll hit her when I find her for pulling a stunt like this."

Knowing it was pointless to argue, Roxas glanced back at the sketches. They were crayon drawings and quite good at that. If only he could recall who the girl was. Sighing, he placed the pictures back into the bag.

There was silence for a long time. Selena had gone back to steering, Varan back to playing with whatever the thing was, and Olette was watching the stars flash past. The most noise was coming from Hayner and Pence, who were playing cards with a pack Varan had conjured up for them.

Roxas was trying to think. Where had he met DiZ? Why did he hate him so much that he was willing to take DiZ's life? _'I wish I could just remember!'_ Roxas thought, irritated. Selena seemed to sense it because she came over.

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything, but I can give you a few hints. DiZ caused you much trouble at one point, and you weren't happy. He forced you to do something you would rather have died than do. Just so you know, DiZ was very kind to many. Please don't think ill of him because of this." Selena seemed honestly saddened by what Roxas had recalled.

"I'm guessing that's not what I was supposed to remember, huh?" Roxas said, grinning falsely.

Selena had to smile at this. "No, it wasn't." She went over to the controls and said, "We're almost there. It's that one over there with the big castle on it." She pointed to a planet with a large blue castle on the top and a huge town on the bottom. "That's Disney Castle." She hit the button again, which made the transparent wall opaque once again.

* * *

The ship shuddered as it landed in a small space. It looked to Roxas like a garage of some sort. Things on the walls flashed and there was a lot of beeping in the background. Two chipmunks dashed up to them.

"Howdy!" cried the one with the black nose in a squeaky voice.

"It's good to see you, Lady Selena," said the red one in a lethargic voice. It was pretty obvious which was the smarter chipmunk.

"Chip! Dale! It's good to see you both again. We have to get going. No time to talk now, okay?" Selena kissed them both on the foreheads. "I'll see you both later!"

The group followed her quietly, but Roxas had a burning question. "How old are you both, anyway?"

Selena giggled. "It's not polite to ask a lady her age, but I guess it's all right. I'm 1,014 and Varan's 1,017." She wasn't shocked when their jaws dropped.

"Not possible!" Hayner stated. "You'd be a little old lady then!"

"No, I'd be dead," chuckled Selena. She was obviously enjoying every minute of their surprised looks. "I'm shocked you didn't realize how powerful we both are."

"Are you going to explain how you're that old?" inquired Olette.

"Eventually," was the only response as she pushed open two doors made of hedge. They entered a huge garden with different bushes trimmed to look like parts of a marching band. They wandered down the path until they heard a loud crash.

Selena gestured for them to halt. "You wait here, all right? I'll check it out."

"Wait!" Roxas called after her, but Selena ran on ahead all the same. Glancing at a yawning Varan, he ran after her.

With a sigh, Varan mumbled, "Knew he'd do that," and followed him, the others on her tail.

Just ahead of Roxas were a boy with brown hair, a tall boy with silver hair, and a girl with red hair —Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Sora was on the ground, rubbing his head. Another person, a duck-human in wizard robes, was jumping up and down, and yelling at poor Sora.

"Sorry, Donald. I didn't see you!" apologized Sora.

"You better be sorry, whoever you are! Help me pick up all these papers!" snapped the duck-human.

Selena, who was already snatching paper after paper from the ground, stared at Donald. So did Riku and Kairi. Sora was gaping at Donald. "What do you mean, 'whoever you are'? I'm your friend, Sora!"

Riku spun around to see Roxas, sending a chill down Roxas's spine. Riku drew a Keyblade that seemed to have a long red dragon wing with a white angel wing on the tip. The hilt was decorated with one white wing and one bat wing. "Don't look now, Sora, but we have company."

Sora stared at Roxas, shocked. "No way! It's not possible!" He drew his own Keyblade, a simple silver one with a crown on the tip and a gold hand guard. "How are _you_**** here!"

Slapping her forehead from Roxas's stupidity, Selena stepped right between Riku and Sora, into their path of action. "Sorry boys, but there won't be a struggle between you and him today." She smiled her trademarked heart-melting smile and hissed to Roxas, "Idiot, I told you to stay with Varan for a reason!"

"I'd get away from him if I were you, he's a—" but Riku was cut off by a shout from Donald.

"Don't you _dare_**** talk to Lady Selena like that!" he screeched, pulling out his staff.

Sora came up with a plan. "I'll talk however I want to people, and you can't make me do otherwise!"

Donald, even more angry with Sora, yelled, "THUNDER!" and almost fried Sora with a powerful thunderbolt. "Sora! You _will_**** treat Lady Selena with respect!"

"Ha! You remembered me!" Sora smirked, doing the stupidest little victory dance ever.

"How could I ever forget you, Sora? After all we went through?"

Kairi wandered up to them. "You mean you don't remember not remembering Sora?" she asked, perplexed.

Riku growled, "That boy is dangerous! He's a Nobody! Get away from him!"

This hit a nerve on both Selena and Roxas. "Roxas is not a Nobody!" she roared. Roxas, on the other hand, felt as if his head was about to split open and crouched close to the ground. He was holding his head in his hands. Selena turned and knelt down beside him. "This is why I told you to stay behind!" she whispered.

Roxas let out a silent scream as he remembered: black coats, murders, fights, and not having a heart. He let one hand touch his chest, to make sure he had a heart now—that it was a lie. There was a pounding, but he wasn't sure if it was his imagination. Letting out a howl of pain, he collapsed.

Kairi's eyes widened. "What's wrong with him?" she screamed. Olette had yelled the same thing at the same time as she ran over. Even Hayner was kneeling down next to him to make sure his was all right.

Selena just stood and gave a pitiful glare at Riku. "Nice going. He's not a Nobody, all right? So just drop it. One more word about it, and I swear I'll make you wish you were back with the Heartless."

She made Riku hesitate before saying, "How did you know I was with the Heartless...?"

"You reek of it," she hissed, making her seem much more dangerous than before. "It wasn't very nice to hurt Roxas by saying that. He didn't even know before now. I wanted him to remember gradually on his own to avoid this." She gestured to the sniveling Roxas.

Roxas was starting to calm down. The pain was subsiding, and he knew the pounding in his chest wasn't his imagination. He slowly sat up, pale as a ghost. He felt as if he were going to be sick.

"You all right, Roxas?" Pence asked, offering to help the shaky figure out of the dirt.

Donald, who'd never heard about Roxas, was extremely bewildered. "What? A Nobody? Like Organization XIII? I never saw him before."

"Of course you haven't. I caught him before you guys even knew what a Nobody was!" Riku retorted.

Hayner placed one of Roxas's arms over his shoulder so that he could carry the still shaking person. "Roxas? A Nobody? Yeah right! He wouldn't be able to have that necklace thing then!"

Roxas had forgotten about that. He wouldn't be able to survive if he were a Nobody. If it burned the ones who touched him, they'd be worse off if they wore it.

Varan nodded in agreement. "That stone is extremely powerful. It would never mistake a Nobody for a regular human being."

"We're here to see His Majesty," said Selena. "So are Sora and his friends, right?"

"How'd you know?" questioned Kairi.

She didn't answer the question. Instead, "Where's Goofy? I want to check something."

"I'll get him right away, Your Grace." Donald scuttled off toward the back of the garden that Roxas and friends hadn't checked out.

Still slightly dazed, Roxas said, "I was Sora's Nobody... I remember not wanting to lose to Sora because I thought I was stronger, and..."

"What are you talking about?" Olette didn't want to believe he was a bad guy once either. "You were _never_**** a Nobody! Right?" She looked to Selena.

Shifting uneasily, Selena admitted, "I didn't want him to find out like this, but yes, he was a member of the Organization XIII, a group of superior Nobodies who kept their human forms."

Donald came waddling back with Goofy on his tail. "Here's Goofy, milady!"

"Quit calling me with titles for once, will you? Goofy, do you recognize him?" Selena jabbed a finger toward Sora.

Goofy squinted at Sora, as if trying to place him. "Nope!"

"But Sora's the Keyblade master and your friend," stated Roxas, flatly. His dizziness had subsided and he was standing without Hayner's assistance.

"Never heard the name Sora. Is he a friend of yours, Olette? What about the others?" He gestured to Riku and Kairi.

"Interesting." Varan let out a low whistle. "He knows Olette, but not Sora, Riku, and Kairi. That's definitely not a well-hidden spell."

Roxas muttered, "There's no magic about it. This is Zexion's doing."

"But I defeated him!" shouted Riku.

"Axel's back. The one who kidnapped Kairi," interjected Hayner. "Something strange is going on here.

Kairi whispered something to Sora, who then turned to Goofy. "We were searching for the King together because I had the Keyblade! You said you wouldn't betray me because Riku had the Keyblade and you were supposed to stick with the Keyblade master."

Goofy smiled. "Aw, you didn't have to remind me, Sora. You know I knew!"

Varan snapped her fingers. "Roxas, does Zexion use hypnosis?"

"I don't remember. I know he was a jerk and kept trying to control me, but that's it. I hardly even remember the Organization itself."

Riku obviously was feeling guilty, for he hadn't said a word about Roxas's being a Nobody since he first brought it up. "He does smell different..." he muttered. "Not incomplete, at least. How's he here, though? He was a part of Sora."

Though Roxas couldn't answer the question, Selena replied, "I'll explain when we see Mickey. He'd want to hear this too. Plus," she lowered her voice slightly, "you never know who might be listening."

"That much of a secret?" mocked Hayner, but it was left at that.

They approached the immense pink double doors that led to the King's throne room. Donald knocked on the lower part and a mini door opened. Riku had to duck his head slightly to get through, since he was so tall, but as they entered, something was wrong. The room was strangely dark and cold.

"Your Majesty!" Donald called into the gloom.

The lights flickered on again and Zexion was standing at the throne, grasping a limp arm. A dark portal opened behind him, and he dragged King Mickey toward it. "You'll make a fine Nobody," he said as calmly as if he were talking about the weather.

"Zexion!" Roxas shouted, trying to find a way to fight him. He still couldn't summon the Keyblades when he needed them! For lack of a better idea, he tugged off his necklace and threw it as hard as he could. It landed not too far from Zexion.

Zexion let go the instant he saw the jewel hit the ground and fled through the portal. He knew when he was beaten.

"Your Majesty!" Sora shouted, racing to the mouse-human.

"Mickey!" Riku called. He was already at his friend's side. "Are you all right?"

Mickey opened his eyes weakly. "There were so many of them. I didn't stand a chance."

Selena helped Mickey back onto his throne. "Mickey, I brought Roxas and his friends as well."

Mickey nodded solemnly. "You told me that something terrible was going to happen. Will you clarify now that they're all here?"

"Mickey, you don't have to be so polite," laughed Selena. "But yes, I'll tell you all.

"For some reason, stars have been blinking out one by one, like when the Heartless first appeared. Not only that, but the Organization has returned with no possible explanation. Worse"—Selena retrieved a glinting crystal from her pocket—"I've been finding heart shards everywhere. All of the shards seem connected to the reappearance of the Organization, but I'm not sure how they're linked.

"I know what they're after. They're trying to find a way into the 'Dark Realm'. There, they can take the hearts of everyone on the 'Other Side'. I'm not sure what the result will be on the 'Realm of Light'."

"What're you talking about with this 'Dark Realm' and 'Realm of Light' stuff?" Pence asked, trying but failing to figure it out on his own.

"The Realm of Light is our realm. All of the worlds we can visit with a Gummi are in our Realm. The 'Dark Realm' is another dimension with a mirrored version of our world and ourselves." Selena frowned as she said this. "That's why I'm not sure what will happen. Maybe if the Dark Realm is destroyed, we'll disappear as well. I don't know."

King Mickey's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "There's a possibility? How would they get to the Dark Realm?"

Varan answered, "There are a couple of doors, but not as many as you'd think. There's a 'Door to the Light' in all those of the Light Realm that have strong hearts. All those with strong hearts in the Dark Realm have Doors to the Darkness, I bet. Those will always be separated. The only possible way to get there is to find the portal to the Dark Realm. There's only one, and its appearances are completely random. It could be in one place for a few seconds or weeks, and then it could show itself an inch from where it was before or on the other side of the Realm."

"So, we have to find this portal and get to the Dark Realm before them, right?" Riku shortened the idea into one sentence. "Sora and I got there after beating Xemnas. Then, the Door to the Light appeared and we got back to Destiny Islands."

Roxas was having trouble following any of it. He wouldn't have had a harder time understanding unless they were speaking another language. Maybe they were, and it sounded like English...

Selena sighed, "Well, you all want to know how Roxas is here instead of back in Sora, right?" Everyone nodded, so she continued. "Well, three things are needed to create a life. I combined an angel's blood to create a body, but alone it would just have been a corpse. I needed to give it an angel's tears to give it a soul—life. That would have been a Nobody without the final object—an angel's feather. That gives the person a heart and can give them 'essence', the basic of everything alive—Nobody, Human, or Heartless."

"All of them seem hard to get," commented Donald.

"They are unless you know where to find them. All are carried in certain 'living vessels'." Selena turned away. "The fact of the matter is that I knew who had them, and I won't say who for their protection." She grinned over her shoulder. "That's all I can tell you guys."

"What an interesting story," commented a voice. "You'll have to tell it to the rest of the Organization." Zexion stepped out of the shadows. He snapped his fingers as Roxas went to get his necklace.

Roxas instantly saw a dark haze in front of his. His feet moved toward Zexion, even though he wanted with all his heart to stay far away from him. What was happening to him?

"Roxas! What are you doing? Fight him!" called a harsh voice. Axel sprinted out of his own portal and stopped as Donald and Goofy drew their weapons. "This is just great..." he muttered. "I need to help Roxas!"

Zexion laughed to himself and pulled out a small, thin dagger. "Hello Axel. What a surprise! I was expecting you. You get to watch Number Thirteen die."

"No!" cried Olette, but Riku stopped her when she tried to run over to Roxas. "He's walking to his death!"

Zexion placed the cool metal blade to Roxas's throat. "Smart girl you are. One false step and he'll be seeing real angels. As for you, Axel, I'll be mentioning this to the Superior."

Axel gritted his teeth, and in a sudden flash, Zexion's knife had fallen to the floor. He'd thrown one of his round weapons at Zexion and knocked the blade out of his hand.

"Hmph, always causing trouble. I'll just have him do it himself." Zexion snapped his fingers and Roxas lifted up his hand.

Roxas's vision was clearing for some reason. Was Zexion doing it on purpose? All the same, he felt a tingling in his palm. The Oathkeeper appeared in a bright flash. Without warning, Roxas had spun around slashed Zexion right across the chest.

Startled, Zexion stumbled back and fell. Darkness, like steam, started rising from his deteriorating body. "I guess you won. Good job." Even to his last, he was sarcastic.

Without a word, Selena pulled out a large shimmering heart from her pocket. "This is yours, right?" She placed it gently on his chest before he could answer.

Tears were in Zexion's eyes as the dark steam turned to gold sparks. "I don't want to die..." he whispered. Before, he didn't seem to fear death, but now he seemed overly emotional.

"Don't worry, you won't," Selena said with a smile. Watching as he became transparent, she added, "You're whole again. You'll probably go back to your own world. Good luck."

Zexion closed his eyes. Just before he vanished, he said, "Roxas has something in his heart that belongs to someone else."

Roxas fell to his knees. His entire body felt as if it were made of lead. "Ugh... That was a terrible experience, and I never want to do that again."

Selena pondered Zexion's words and turned on Roxas. "Hold still. Move, and it might be a problem." Unexpectedly, her hand shot into Roxas's chest, fading in as if Roxas were made of air and not flesh and blood. Roxas's breath caught. Once she pulled out her hand, she was holding a small red shard with what looked like a flame burning inside.

"What's that?" Olette asked, inspecting it from over Selena's shoulder.

"Axel, I think this is yours." But when she went to hand it to him, Axel backed away slowly.

"No way. I don't want it. They'll sense I have a heart and probably kill me or something!" Axel murmured.

"Oh, come on! Nobodies only sense one of two things: Whole or incomplete. With a tiny piece like this, you won't be complete and you won't be empty," Selena snapped. "Besides, I have the feeling this was somehow blocking Roxas's memories of you to come back. If you take it, he'll—"

Axel gave up and held his hand out for it. "Fine. Give me that." He took it and his palm glowed as it faded through the fabric of the glove into him.

"Did it work?" Sora asked.

"I don't feel any different..." Axel muttered. "Must be broken." He laughed at his own joke and opened a dark portal.

Roxas stood up. "Axel, wait! We were friends, right? I mean, you saving me like that all the time makes sense now!"

Axel spun to face Roxas. "You remember?" He did a very stupid victory dance, one that was better than Sora's, like a hyperactive person. "Woohoo!" While everyone laughed he said, "So that's what a heart can do, huh? Make you act like a giddy schoolgirl. Heh, gotta remember to hide that. Later." He walked backwards into his portal, and signaled a quick goodbye as he disappeared into the blackness.

Riku walked over to Roxas and held a hand out. "Sorry I didn't trust you before."

"Yeah, same here. I was afraid you were going to kill me or something." Roxas took Riku's hand and shook it.

Mickey sighed. "This is terrible! You must hurry!"

Goofy grinned at Sora. "Your Majesty, mind if we go with Sora again?"

Understandingly, Mickey nodded. "Sadly, I have to stay here or Minnie will murder me. Sorry Riku. Good luck to all of you."

"You too," replied Kairi. "Make sure to tell us if anything happens, all right?"

"We'll be heading to Radiant Garden," Varan stated matter-of-factly. "I need to do something there for Olette and then you guys can go."

"What would that be?" inquired Olette curiously.

"That's a secret," she whispered back.

They said their good-byes and followed Selena out of the Throne Room. They headed straight for the Gummi Garage and got into Selena's Gummi Ship.

"Everyone ready?" Selena called behind her as she flicked a bunch of switches.

"Three, two, one... BLAST OFF!" Pence shouted as the ship blasted into outer space.

* * *

That's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. If the reference to the "house falling on one and the other being melted" wasn't obvious, I was referring to the movie, "Wizard of Oz", saying that Varan's friends were the Wicked Witches of the East and West. I just had to include that. Lol.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Read and Review! Later!


	7. Radiance

**Chapter 7: Radiance**

Hello once again! I'd like to point out some things that bugged me last chapter. No one seemed to notice the reference to the Wizard of Oz last chapter. Plus, no one commented on on the "stupidest victory dances ever" comments! IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!

Roxas: This is considering just about EVERYTHING drives you nuts.

Me: Shut up Roxas. Anywho, **I'd like to hear what you all thought Sora and Axel did for victory dances!** Thank you.

* * *

"Where are we?" Pence asked, glancing around. They were in a giant town with gray brick for roads and many old-fashioned buildings. The sun was bright and sparkling off a huge castle on the horizon. It seemed to be under construction.

"This is Radiant Garden!" Sora said giddily. "We have to find Leon and the others!"

Donald, who was now wearing a blue outfit with a bunch of zippers and a cap, said, "I bet they've gotten themselves into some kind of trouble without us!"

Goofy was wearing a green shirt under a vest with a bunch of pockets. His knight helmet that had been sitting on the top of his head was replaced with a brown hat and goggles. "Gawrsh, I think they could handle themselves..." His face was covered in complete confusion.

So was Selena's. "Who's Leon? I don't know anyone by..." her voice trailed off as a man with brown hair and a black jacket strolled down the nearby stairs. He hadn't noticed them, since they were well hidden behind a roof. "Squall!" she called, waving.

The man spun toward the building. "That's Leon!" he shouted, but froze when he saw her waving. "Selena?" he inquired, uncertainly.

Selena hopped down from her spot on the roof and was easily caught by the man. "Squall! It's been so long! How's everyone? Why'd you change your name? Oh, don't bother telling me yet. Yuffie still stealing stuff? Man, you've gotten tall! What about Cloud? He still having problems? Oh! I have to talk to—" She stopped herself before she could say the name. "Never mind. How is everyone?"

"One question at a time! Jeez!" He was obviously enjoying the interrogation; it was written all over his face.

"Hey Leon!" Sora called, running over. "How ya been?"

"Everyone's just asking questions today," laughed Squall. "I'm fine. Who're they?" he inquired, glancing over at Riku, Roxas, Olette, Hayner, and Pence.

They all introduced themselves in turn. "Hmm, so you found your friend after all." Squall smiled calmly.

"I don't care what you say, you're name is Squall!" Selena pouted much like a five-year-old. Maybe that was why she had chosen to disguise herself that way in Twilight Town. "I bet it was because you couldn't save the world from the Heartless, right? Doesn't matter! The world's safe for now, so you're going to be Squall!" She took a deep breath. "Anyway, I gotta see the others! It's been over ten years!"

Squall had to laugh. "I'll let you see them on one condition. You have to remember to breathe." When he'd gotten that much from them, they headed past an Ice Cream shop and into another place. Once there, they were shown to a small, empty house.

"Hi!" cried a girl with short black hair and a headband. She was wearing a light green tank top that showed her stomach slightly and tan shorts. "How are you Sora? Oh! Selena! It's been so long!" She was speaking just as fast as Selena had, and only paused to give Selena a big hug. "Man, am I glad to see you all!"

"Why? Have Heartless been showing up?" asked Donald.

She giggled. "Of course not! You guys kicked their butts! We need help moving some of this stuff to the castle! It's finally almost done! Aerith went ahead with Cloud and Tifa in the truck, but we need some more hands to move it all."

"Yuffie," Sora groaned, "it's all your stuff!"

All the same, she managed to force them into it somehow. Hayner glanced at the pile of boxes. Olette was helping Yuffie place a bunch of books into boxes. Pence, meanwhile was examining a huge computer. "Wow... This is amazing!" Pence cried suddenly.

"Touch it and I'll chop yer fingers off!" grumbled a man who'd just entered. He was wearing goggles and had blonde hair. He wore a white shirt that had some oil stains on it. "I don't want ta have to fix 'er like Cloud's stupid motorcycle."

"Cid!" Selena hugged him. "You're all right!"

Cid didn't seem too surprised by her sudden welcoming gesture. "What did you break in that Gummi ship this time?"

"Oh, I can't even say hi without you suspecting me of something?" Before he could refuse, though, she added, "The engines are starting to sizzle. Think you could take a look at it?"

He just smiled. "Knew that was coming. It'll take a day, so you'll have to hang around here."

"Where's Merlin?" Sora asked, peering around the room.

"He went back to his own world." They all turned to see a girl with long brown hair in a ponytail enter. She was wearing a sundress with a scarf belt around the middle.

"Aerith!" Selena was smiling up a storm. "If Cloud were here the whole place would be a lot more lively!"

"Doubt it," commented Cid, sitting at his computer. "He's been acting like a jerk recently. All cold and distant."

"Not the Dare Devil we knew, huh?" Varan turned for the door. "I have stuff to do, so I'll catch up with you all later."

Roxas glanced around at the bright faces. "I'm going to look around outside, okay?" He opened the door.

"Wait, I'll go with you!" Sora said with a grin. "I can show you all the cool places!"

A shiver ran down Roxas's spine. "N-no, that's all right. Later!" He darted out into the open and down a street toward the town square.

"Um, okay..." Sora didn't understand what he'd done wrong, but he turned and started to help Yuffie with the tape. He was hardly much help, since they were arguing about how to use it and in the end taped each other's mouths shut.

Hayner nodded to Pence, who poked Olette. "Come one, let's follow him," Hayner suggested in a low whisper. Everyone agreed on it and walked out too.

* * *

With a groan, Roxas glanced around. He'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and was now by a bunch of stairs that led up near the huge castle. Not feeling like climbing, Roxas sat at the bottom and stared up at the sky. What could he do?

"Roxas," Olette said gently. "What's wrong? Sora offered to show you around."

Practically jumping out of his skin, Roxas stared at his friends. "I thought you guys were going to help with those guys' packing!"

"It got boring," Hayner said sarcastically and sat down next to his friend. "We wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine! What gave you the idea I wasn't?" Roxas leaned back against the wall.

Pence caught on first. "Why are you avoiding Sora?"

"He's afraid of disappearing," stated Riku simply. He rounded the corner and examined Roxas's face for a reaction to the news.

"I'm not afraid of Sora!" Roxas snapped. "I just..." He couldn't lie to his friends _and_**** Riku, could he? "I just get a bad feeling when I'm around him, that's all."

The silver haired boy rolled his eyes and sat next to Roxas. "Look, you have a right to be scared when you're around Sora. It's not like you have as bad a phobia as I do."

"What are you scared of? Bunnies?" Olette was joking, but Riku frowned.

"Nah. Would be better if I was. I'm terrified of fading away in the light, and being eaten by the darkness. Like I am, I can't live at all without being cautious."

Riku's admitting his fears surprised Roxas. What shocked him more was that Riku continued to talk about someone called Xehanort tricking him and more. Riku even called himself a coward. Was he trying to make Roxas feel better?

When he couldn't stand it anymore, Roxas jumped up. "Riku, how'd you get over your fear? I... want to be Sora's friend, but if I'm scared of him..."

As calmly as he could, Riku said, "Well, I had to convince myself that nothing bad would happen to me if I was in the light or the darkness. The light was easy, since I knew I'd lived in it before on Destiny Islands. The darkness..." he shuddered. "That was tougher. Actually, a man named DiZ helped me, but he's dead now."

An idea popped into Roxas's head. "Maybe if I could use the Keyblades, I'd be able to manage it somehow."

Chuckling, Riku stood up. "Now that's not a half bad idea! It's not that easy, but I think we could manage it. Wait here." He ran off.

"Great plan!" Pence complimented. "If you can fight when you want, you'll have no problem!"

A wooden sword was flung at Roxas's feet. "Use that, and we'll have a duel." Riku had his own in hand. "You don't look like much of a fighter right now."

Stupefied, Roxas lifted the sword. It was heavier than the foam sword he'd used in the Struggle Tournament, but much lighter than a regular blade would be. "What do I do with this?"

"Didn't you here me? Never mind. Let's go!" Riku got into a fighting stance Roxas's hadn't seen before. His arm was in the air with his toy sword held slightly back. "I'll let you take the first shot."

Roxas spread his feet into his own stance. He charged at Riku, but was flung back. Hardly noticing the pain in his side, Roxas stood up and glared at Riku. _'I just have to pretend he's like a Heartless or a Nobody! I can do this!'

* * *

_

Though Riku hadn't broken a sweat, Roxas was on his back, breathing heavily. He was tougher than he looked! "One more go!" wheezed Roxas.

"You haven't hit me yet! You wouldn't stand a chance." Riku was going to leave.

Just then, Selena came into view. "Having duels, huh? If Roxas wants a real fight, he should try Sora."

"Roxas is afraid of Sora and you know it," Riku snapped.

"That's why it would be harder for him." She was making fun of him!

Taking the bait all the same, Roxas stood up. "Fine, I can beat Sora! He can't be much tougher than Riku!"

Sora rounded the corner. "Beat me at what?" he asked. He saw the wooden swords. "Oh! A duel! Cool! Let me try!" He yanked Riku's out of his hands and stood ready. "Let's go!"

Grimly, Selena smirked. "But to make it more interesting, how about we add some wagers? The loser has to go back to his home world with his friends!"

"What!" Everyone shouted. Kairi, Donald, and Goofy had been behind Sora. "That's not fair!"

"Well, the loser would be too weak," Selena said simply.

"You cold-hearted—" Riku started, but paused. Something was going through his head, but no one could see what through his blank expression. "Fine. Sora, you better win!"

Roxas's friends were cheering, but he couldn't hear them. He had to focus on the fight. How had he beaten Seifer? He couldn't remember. Selena signaled for them to start. He dashed forward, trying to hit Sora with everything he had.

Sora easily sidestepped the blow and swung his sword. Roxas parried and managed to hit Sora in the shoulder. Sora took the chance to knock Roxas over in a single blow. Hardly able to stop himself, Roxas landed on all fours and sped toward Sora. He swung his sword, which had started glowing. It transformed into the Oblivion. With a cry of surprise, Sora summoned his own Keyblade and blocked.

"Game over!" Selena roared. "It's a tie!"

They both looked at her as if she was nuts. Before they even opened their mouths to ask what she was talking about, she elaborated. "You never let me say the rules! The way to win was to knock the opponent unconscious, and I knew neither of you would be able to do that. Sora assumed you couldn't use Keyblades, so I knew he wouldn't summon his, but Roxas would eventually get so frustrated, he would summon at least one. The game ended since you summoned Keyblades."

"Smart," commented Riku. "I never would have though of that." It was difficult to tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

There was a loud explosion of sound from above. Weakly, Roxas glanced up at the Bailey. "What's going on up there?"

A man with spiky blonde hair and steely blue eyes leaned over the edge. "Sora! Get up here quick! Nobodies!"

The last word hit home. Sora nodded. "All right, Cloud!"

They all scrambled up the stairs and searched the other edge. Sure enough, a bunch of Dusks were standing, waiting for them to approach. "What do we do?" cried Olette.

"What else? Fight them!" Riku pulled out his Way to Dawn.

Sora and Roxas jumped down and dashed for the fight, but a barrier blocked the others. "Oh no! Sora!" Kairi shouted, her own Keyblade drawn. "We have to do something!"

More Nobodies appeared. "Save it, Kairi! We have to get these first!" Riku yelled, slicing one in half.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sora and Roxas were racing toward the Dusks. Once they reached the creatures, more started appearing. There were Dusks, Dancers, Samurai... All of the Nobodies were represented! They nodded to each other and split up, defeating one at a time.

"Look out!" Sora shouted. He threw his Keyblade like a boomerang at something behind Roxas. Roxas turned and cut Dragoon behind him in half.

There was a sudden earthquake, and all of the enemies disappeared. Sora sat down and groaned. "That was rough."

Roxas was feeling anxious, but not because he was near Sora. He kept glancing over his shoulder, half expecting the grim reaper to appear. It wasn't until Selena had run down. "Guys! It's not over!" she bellowed, but it was too late.

A Nobody emerged from a dark portal, but this one was much larger than the others were. It grew once it had escaped the bowels of the darkness until it was almost five times their height. In its one hand was a man with hair so blonde it was almost white wearing a costume of red and black. The creature was pure white and had what seemed like a blue cowl around its neck.

Roxas reached for his necklace, but the creature threw the man at him. He just barely managed to dodge the limp figure. Selena, on the other hand, got directly in the path and barely managed to keep the man from being injured on the rocks. He felt for his necklace again, but the charm was gone!

"Roxas! Forget the necklace! We gotta beat this thing!" Sora shouted, launching himself at the creature. He managed to hit its stomach with a glancing blow. "Nothing works!"

Lowering his guard, Roxas waited. There was a sudden bright flash, and he was caught in some strange trap. His hands and feet were engulfed in light, and it kept his limbs from moving. But he was still clutching his two Keyblades.

The monster snaked its way up to him and lifted an arm to slam him to the ground. As soon as it was going in for the kill, Roxas swung the Oathkeeper with all his might. It barely hit the creature, but it slithered away in pain, leaving Roxas still in the air. It launched itself back at him, snatching Roxas from his imprisonment. It was going to fling Roxas to the ground, going to break every bone in his body!

From sheer impulse, Roxas wriggled the Oblivion free and hit the monster hard. It dropped him, and he managed to land on his feet. "You all right?" Sora called over. The thing had called a bunch of Dusks, yet Sora had taken care of them all.

"Far as I know," was the quick response.

The monster roared and lifted a giant orb of energy. The vacuum started pulling at the group. Roxas dug his Keyblades into the ground, while Sora fell onto his butt and gripped a crack in the stone. "Now what?" Sora bellowed over the rush of wind.

"If we throw our Keyblades, maybe they'll hit the stupid thing!" Roxas yanked his out of the rock and threw them with all his might just as Sora hurled his. All three of the blades slammed into the colossal Nobody.

The Nobody writhed in pain and collapsed to its knees. It fell forward, but turned into a rush of darkness just before hitting the ground.

Sora barely managed to dodge, but the blackness was starting to wrap around Roxas. He couldn't breathe, for a black tentacle had strung itself around his neck. He cried out as something slimy grabbed his arm. It was freezing in the huge pit of darkness.

"Roxas!" Olette screamed. They'd managed to defeat their batch of Nobodies and came running.

"Stay back!" Riku warned, blocking her with an arm. "If that gets hold of you, you'll never escape. Let me handle this." Coolly, as if walking through the surf back on his island, Riku stepped into the puddle of inky blackness. He broke into a run when he knew it was safe and seized Roxas's outstretched hand.

"That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" shouted Squall.

Riku turned away before anyone could get near him. Roxas heard him mutter something to himself, and then, "Can I be left alone for a bit?"

"What's the problem?" Sora asked, perplexed.

"I... just want to be left alone for a while. What's the harm in that?"

Selena seemed to catch something in his voice that the others didn't, for she said, "Of course nothing's wrong with it, but... it's _boring_**** being alone without someone to keep you company. I'll stay, and the others can get Ansem the Wise to the castle."

"Ansem the Wise!" everyone shouted in unison. They reeled around to get a better look at the man. There was no doubt about it for Sora; that was the real Ansem the Wise.

Cloud was the one to lift Ansem over his shoulder. "We'll be seeing you at the Castle then. You remember where Ansem's room was?" When he got a nod, he gestured for the others to follow.

Shuddering at the limp figure, Roxas asked if he could stick around too. The man gave him the creeps.

Bewildered, Riku gawked at him, but only for a second. He turned his head away and said, "Sure, if you really want to." He didn't want Roxas to see, but the boy had. Roxas saw that his eyes were no longer the color of the ocean, but now a deep gold.

"What happened?" Roxas asked, gaping.

"I had to use the power of darkness to save you. When I did, my body transformed. I'm just glad I didn't turn into Xehanort." He let out a hollow laugh, but it was apparent that he didn't think it was funny.

Selena approached cautiously. "Riku... The darkness you used... That wasn't yours, was it? It was pure evil!"

Riku faced her calmly. "Well, that's darkness for you. It's evil," he said smoothly.

Selena slapped him. "Don't _ever_**** say that darkness is evil, got it? Varan's a darkling, if you didn't notice, and she's not a bad person! Darkness isn't always bad, just as light's not always good!"

Anger replaced astonishment on Riku's face. "It's not like I asked to have darkness!" he snapped. "I was fooled, and this is the punishment!"

Selena was still glaring daggers at him. "Maybe you should stop being pessimistic. You had darkness before in your heart. You're of the Twilight, both light and darkness evenly! You couldn't use it, since you didn't know how to, but when you joined the Heartless, they gave you a different darkness; an evil darkness."

Roxas wasn't understanding the conversation at all. He listened as the two argued back and forth about the darkness and other things. He definitely wasn't following.

Finally, Selena said, not unkindly, "The darkness you used was Xehanort's, which means it doesn't belong in your heart. Let's head up to the castle. I can banish the darkness up there, all right?"

"What? You can do that?" Riku's golden eyes widened.

"Of course I can! It'll be painful, I'm sure, but anything is better than that foul darkness."

"So, we're going?" Roxas's heart sank. He'd have to meet that guy anyway.

Selena hesitated before she said, "Roxas, that man, Ansem the Wise... He's DiZ. Please don't cause any trouble."

The hatred boiled up inside him again so that he could even taste it. "I'll try. I don't even know why I hate him so much..."

"He starts anything, I'll stop him." Riku lead the way out of the open area. The castle wasn't that far away from the place.

Just before they left, Roxas saw his necklace on the ground. When he picked it up, he saw the jewel was cracked. "Oh no... Varan will kill me..."

"No she won't. She'll yell at you a lot, but not kill you," Selena said with a sigh. "At least that rune's in one piece."

They entered the castle and followed Selena to a large room with yellow metal walls. The man from before was slumped in a chair behind the desk and wasn't moving.

Selena leaned over the desk slightly and poked his forehead. "Ansem... ANSEM! Wake up! HEARTLESS! NOBODIES! AHHH! THE HORROR!"

Ansem jumped at least ten feet. He stared around the room searching for the intrusion. He blinked and blindly searched his pockets for something. He retrieved a pair of what looked like sunglasses and put them on. "Oh, Selena, you scared me. What's this about Heartless and Nobodies?"

Selena smiled and shrugged. "I just did that so you'd wake up. What're the glasses for?"

Ansem shifted uneasily in his chair. "Well, it seems my eyes have become extremely sensitive to light, so I have to wear them to see. Everything would just be bright blotches of color otherwise." He noticed everyone behind Selena. "My, you've brought a lot of people today."

"Your Majesty," Squall said, bowing his head slightly, "why have you returned? You've caused so much trouble with the Heartless and—"

Ansem laughed. "I hate to sound like I'm passing the buck, but it was Xehanort, my ex-apprentice, who controlled the Heartless. He stole my name along with my research that I'd left to be forgotten."

Aerith tilted her head in quiet confusion. Cloud and Squall exchanged quick glances. Cid pulled out a cigarette, but didn't light it because of Selena's cold glare. Yuffie seemed to be the only one perturbed by Ansem's answer. "I don't believe you! It's just too convenient!"

"He's telling the truth," Riku said. It was the first time he'd drawn attention to himself.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to your eyes?" Kairi cried.

Riku turned away. "Little accident when saving Roxas. Had to use some darkness and this was the result."

"At least you don't look like a forty-year-old freak," laughed Sora.

Guiltily, Ansem said, "I apologize for everything. It was my curiosity that caused all this."

"It's not your fault," Selena said with a smile. "Anyone would want to know the answers to the heart. Xehandork was the one who took it too far."

Sora started laughing like a hyena. "Xehandork! That's a good one! Why didn't I think of that?"

Hayner glanced at the others. "Shouldn't we introduce ourselves?" he asked.

"That would be polite! Call the newspapers! Hayner's thinking of how not to be rude for once!" Olette was giggling.

Chuckling, Ansem said, "I already know who you are. Hayner, Pence, Olette—" he stopped. He was looking straight at Roxas, who was trying to avoid eye contact. "Roxas...? How—?"

"I'll explain later!" Selena butted in. "A lot has occurred in your absence, Ansem."

"Ah, yes. How could I have forgotten that I've been gone for... how long was it again?"

"Almost a year," Selena replied. "I thought you were dead. There was that explosion, and you disappeared."

"I did say anything could happen."

"Hang on! I didn't see Lady Selena at the Nobody's base! How would she know about it all?" said Donald, irritated.

Selena walked over to Sora and pointed to his heart. "Right here. I was watching the entire time."

Sora blinked, baffled. "What do you mean? Can you spy on people through their hearts or something?"

"That would take a greater understanding of the heart than I have right now. No, I was watching through the Keyblade's power."

"But, uh, that would mean you can watch Riku, Kairi, His Majesty King Mickey, Roxas, and anyone else..." Goofy was counting on his fingers as he said the names.

"It depends if I know the Keyblade or not."

Sora all the while was trying to think of anytime he'd felt like he was being watched. "That dream! Before the island was destroyed, I had a dream I was in this weird place and there was a voice!" Grinning, Sora finished, "I thought you sounded familiar when I met you!"

Roxas remembered his own dream. There was that shadow of himself, or was it Sora? He couldn't recall. "How come you let the Nobodies or Heartless or whatever hurt me in my dream, if you knew?" he snapped.

"I tried, but those morons at the Organization managed to block me out." Selena glanced down, ashamed. "I honestly tried, and all those times in Twilight Town when they showed up, I was in disguise and couldn't do a thing about it."

"So that's why you went to the Struggle! To scare Zexion away if he came back!" Pence stated, now understanding.

Selena smiled meekly. "That's right." She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Bits of smudged purple showed underneath. "That clock's hiding something. If you want to get marker off, I suggest using bleach. It works." She had to laugh. "Anyway, it's starting to get late..."

"Wait! You said—"

"I haven't forgotten, Riku. I keep my promises, don't worry."

Ansem choked down some laughter. "All right. Aerith, would you mind showing them to some rooms?

"Oh, and Roxas? I truly am sorry." Ansem turned to the clock and took it down, scowling at the scribbles underneath.

"What are you...?" Roxas didn't get a chance to finish his question, since Olette was pulling him toward the door. For whatever reason, the hatred that had been burning inside him since he'd remembered DiZ—Ansem—disappeared. What had Ansem done to him, anyway?

They all followed Aerith to a hallway full of guestrooms. "There aren't a lot of rooms fixed up yet. We stored a ton of stuff in most of the rooms, so you'll have to double up. There are two beds per room, so it won't be so bad."

Olette went into one room with Kairi. Riku and Sora decided to be roommates. Donald was stuck with Goofy. That left Selena, Hayner, Pence, and Roxas. "Well, I'm sure you guys haven't used my room for anything," Selena said. "I'll just stay there."

So Roxas, Hayner, and Pence were stuck sharing a room. "Got dibs on bed!" Hayner shouted, jumping on it.

"I can sleep on the floor," offered Pence.

"I really am sorry about this," said Aerith. "I'll get you a sleeping bag and pillow."

"Thanks." Pence sat in one of the chairs by the table. "Man, it's like being in a hotel! Those guys are lucky!"

Roxas laid back on his bed and yawned. "I'm going to sleep, all right? I'm super tired."

"Go ahead," said Hayner. "We'll try to be quiet."

* * *

Roxas woke up in a cold sweat. He'd just been dreaming something, but couldn't recall what. He glanced over at Hayner, who no longer had a pillow, and down at Pence. Pence had the cushion over his face to muffle some very loud snoring. Roxas rolled over onto his side and curled up slightly. His stomach hurt, but he didn't want to wake his friends up about it. He figured he'd feel better with some sleep. It took a long time for him to close his eyes again.

* * *

"Dude, you gonna sleep all day?" Hayner asked, shaking Roxas's shoulder.

Blearily, Roxas rubbed his eyes. His stomach was still hurting, but the pain seemed to have spread to his head too. He wanted to sleep more. "What time is it?" he asked, groggily.

"Almost ten," replied Pence, tying his shoes. He was wide-awake; that meant they'd let Roxas sleep for a while.

Hayner grinned. "Aerith said something about a huge breakfast after you went to bed."

Roxas's stomach churned sickeningly. "Oh, okay. Let's go then." He felt absolutely horrible and would have liked to stay under the warm covers longer, but his friends wanted to eat something. He knew they wouldn't leave without him.

They entered an enormous dining hall. Ansem was sitting with Selena and Varan—when had she gotten back? They were discussing something in low voices and didn't look up when Roxas and the others entered. Olette was with Kairi, Yuffie, and Aerith, probably babbling about music and clothes and other girly things he wouldn't understand. Riku was sitting calmly talking to Sora, who was drooling in anticipation for food.

Roxas sat down across from Riku, letting his friends be closer to where the food would be placed. Sure enough, some maids entered with plates piled high with eggs, sausage, bacon, and anything else that would be served for breakfast. As soon as they were on the table, Hayner, Pence, and Sora were shoveling it onto their own plates and into their mouths.

Once again, Roxas's stomach lurched, and he looked away. He noticed Riku's eyes were different once again. "You're eyes are blue again..."

"Huh? Oh, Selena got rid of the darkness last night for me. It hurt horribly though... She 'unstabilized my heart' or something like that." He didn't seem to care too much.

"That's mine!" Sora shouted.

"No it's not!" Hayner yelled back.

"I'll take it so you stop complaining," suggested Pence hungrily.

Riku rolled his eyes and cut the subject of the argument, the last sausage on the platter, into thirds. "Roxas, if you want to eat anything, I'd get it now."

But Roxas only shook his head. "I'm not very hungry." He doubted he could keep anything he ate down.

Out of nowhere came Selena's hand. It touched Roxas's forehead gently. "Are you feeling all right? You have a fever."

"I'm fine," Roxas muttered unconvincingly.

"Riku, you're finished eating, right? Think you could help me get Roxas back to his room?" Selena had to ask, since she was a foot and a half shorter than he was.

Shrugging, Riku put Roxas's hand over his shoulder and helped him down the hallway. "Don't barf on me, got it?"

Roxas nodded slowly, but didn't look at Riku. He was feeling extremely dizzy and didn't trust himself to speak. As soon as they reached the room he collapsed onto the bed. Varan and Aerith were entered right after. "Flu?" Varan was stating this more than asking. When Selena confirmed it, Varan waved a hand at the table. A bowl with of ice water and a few pieces of cloth appeared.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Riku said, knowing what was going to be asked of him. "You guys just finish with whatever you were doing before."

Varan bent over Roxas and took the jewel off his necklace. "Selena told me it was broken. Don't worry about it. I'll come up with some use for it." She gestured for Selena to follow.

Aerith held out a can of soda. "Ginger ale really helps. Don't drink it too fast, all right Roxas?" She set it down on the table and left.

With a sigh, Riku put one of the damp cloths on Roxas's forehead. It was freezing, but it felt nice. "Get some sleep."

"Riku, I have a question." Roxas pulled the pouch out of his pocket and retrieved the sketches from within. "Do you know who the girl in these pictures are?"

Without a word, Riku looked them over. "...I'd ask Sora or Kairi. They'd know more about her. Her name is Naminé though. That's it for what I can tell you."

Roxas nodded and closed his eyes. _'Naminé... what a pretty name. I wonder who she is.'

* * *

_

That's it for this chappy! I hope you enjoyed it! READ AND REVIEW!


	8. Dragon's Breath

**Chapter 8: Dragon's Breath**

Here's the next chapter! Not much to say today. Still trying to get that $10 that my friends bet me if I could write something serious. Lol.

* * *

Something was poking Roxas in the arm. Yawning, he opened his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost noon," stated Riku. "Selena's ready to leave. You can sleep more on the Gummi. Do what you need to and meet us at the Great Hall." He stood and stretched. Had he been sitting in the chair the entire time? Before Roxas could ask, though, Riku was already out the door.

Roxas knew the first thing he needed to do. After using the bathroom, he stared in the mirror for a moment. He was pale and had dark circles under his eyes. _'Like death warmed over,'_ he thought with a laugh. The dead probably didn't look this bad. He wandered down the halls, trying to remember his way to the Great Hall. He assumed that was where they had breakfast that morning.

Something hit him hard in the back, knocking him over. He flipped over on the ground to see a tiny girl floating above him. "Oops! Sorry!" she giggled. She had long, messy blonde hair and jade green eyes. She wore a skimpy costume and a scarf around her neck that reminded Roxas faintly of wings. "Wasn't watching where I was going."

Two others followed her. One had brown hair that was short in the front but so long in the back that it was held in a ponytail with a long clothe. It was held at the bottom by a gold charm that was shaped like two wings. She had one blue eye and the other was a bright green. Her shirt was white and cut down the middle, held together with a strange black pattern. She wore shorts with a waterfall of cloth on the side like a skirt. "Ah! Rikku! Did you apologize?" she asked, quite concerned. "Are you all right, Sir?"

"He looks pretty sick to me," commented the last. She had silver hair with black streaks. She was probably the 'Goth' of the group. She wore something like a black leather top with metal on the sides that showed her stomach. Her shorts were black leather as well, tight, but much longer that the others. She had long black stockings that covered her legs and huge black boots. She was the only one with actual 'wings'.

"You remind me of someone..." the one with long hair said, leaning closer to get a good look at his face.

"Everyone reminds you of someone, Yuna," commented the one in black.

Rikku, the first, pouted. "But Paine, he does look a lot like that kid who tricked us that one time..."

"Tricked you?" Roxas was slightly interested. They seemed too big to be fairies—of course, he'd never seen one—but definitely too small to be actual people. If they weren't floating, they'd only come up to his knee.

Yuna nodded sadly. "He wanted us to help beat a bunch of Heartless, so his friend, that duck, told us Leon had a ton of treasure!"

"You mean Squall. I think he's going by that instead of Leon," said Roxas.

"That's the one," Pain said coldly. "We're just a bunch of treasure fanatics."

Roxas thought for a moment. "Was the person who tricked you named Donald?" When they confirmed it, he said, "Well, that sounds like Donald all right. Did you get payback on them?"

"We wanted to take all their items, but decided against it. They'd been having a hard time, or so Squall told us, and so we gave him one of our treasures," said Yuna with a smile.

"Sora's down in the Great Hall, if you want to talk to him. I'm kinda lost though. Think you guys could help out a bit?" Roxas pushed himself off the floor and steadied himself against the wall.

Rikku frowned. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'll live," he assured them.

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine led the way to the huge room in that order. They kept chattering amongst themselves about something or another, speaking so fast that Roxas couldn't even catch what they were saying. "So, um..." Roxas said, getting their attention, "How much treasure have you guys collected?"

"Not much recently," replied Paine. "We have a lot of it from years of searching."

Rikku was floating backwards to be able to look at Roxas. "Uh huh! We have lots of gold, and jewels, and shiny things!" She bumped into someone standing behind her. "Whoops!"

"Hey, if it isn't the Gullwings, ahyuk!" Goofy said. "Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, right?"

Olette, who was chatting with Varan, turned to see what Goofy was talking about. "Wow! You guys have a great fashion sense!" she cried, running up to them.

Hayner groaned. "Not again..." He gestured to Roxas to have a seat in the chair next to him. "Man, you look terrible."

"Don't remind me," moaned Roxas, putting his head on the table. He was still sleepy. _'If this is how being sick feels,'_ he thought, _'I'm never getting sick ever again!'_

Varan was with Olette, Kairi, and the Gullwings talking animatedly. The Gullwings were saying something important, for Rikku was gesturing enthusiastically while Yuna spoke. Paine, on the other hand, was pretty much ignoring the conversation.

"Then it's settled!" Yuna said gleefully. "We'll join you guys!" She handed Kairi a small stone. "Just use this to call us if you need help!" She winked and they disappeared in small flashes of multicolored light.

"So, we all ready?" inquired Selena. "Let's get going to..." She glanced at Sora for a destination. "You pick."

Surprised, Sora said, "I get to chose? Donald always yells at me when I do! Let's go to the Land of Dragons!"

Donald stared. "But we have to look for that—"

"It could be in that world," said Selena calmly. "Plus, you guys have friends in that world. Mulan, Captain Shang, Mushu, and some others, right?"

Satisfied with Selena's answer, Sora stuck his tongue out at Donald. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Be careful," Ansem warned. "You especially, Roxas."

Varan pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Sora. "Here, put this on the Keyblade and it'll change form."

Sora did as he was told, taking off the silver mouse head on his Keyblade and put the new chain on. Roxas recognized it as the gemstone from his necklace. It was still cracked, so it was probably useless to him.

The Keyblade glowed and became slightly longer. When the light faded, the hilt was a light red-violet. The poll was a darker purple. The part that hanged off forming the key was now a dark purple, curving like smoke or vines from the tip. White lines were all over the dark purple, making it look cracked.

"Woah!" Sora said, not quite knowing how to describe the new Keyblade. "This is amazing Varan! What's it called?"

"The Broken Gate," replied Varan.

Pence realized where the Key-chain had come from. "Isn't that part of Roxas's necklace?" he inquired.

"It won't weaken Nobodies or anything anymore, so it won't be much use to him," Varan said simply. "His Keyblades won't change shape either if you put Key-chains on them. There's no point in him still having it."

Roxas nodded. He still felt awful, and not just because of being sick. Why'd he have to break the gem in the first place?

Selena noticed the silence that had fallen. "Let's get going, all right? The sooner we leave the better. If a Nobody were to show up now, we'd be in big trouble!"

* * *

The Gummi ride this time was pretty uneventful. Roxas curled up on the floor to sleep. Olette put a blanket over him and then started watching the stars zip past. Pence was being taught the controls by Selena, in case she somehow couldn't drive. Donald and Goofy were arguing over something, but whatever it was, it made no sense. Varan hadn't joined them this time.

Selena realized something and pulled a bunch of small devices from her pocket. She handed one to everyone except Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Roxas. Donald and Goofy already had the things. "These are communicators. They'll translate for you. You don't need them, since Keyblades automatically translate," she said to Roxas and the other Keyblade wielders.

After that, Goofy started teaching Pence how to fight using the shield and Donald taught Olette how to cast spells.

* * *

They finally reached the world. Roxas didn't get to see what it looked like from space, since they'd only woke him up to get beamed down. He was feeling a little better at least. The place they were in was warm and sunny. It was a small village surrounded by all kinds of trees.

"Never been here before," said Sora.

The group walked down the dirt road. They heard some inaudible yelling from around the corner. Nodding to each other, they dashed toward the source. Kairi stayed behind with Roxas and made their way at a walk.

A huge Heartless that was half horse, half-human looking was standing over a woman with short black hair in a kind of Chinese robe. She turned her head and saw Sora. "Help!" she cried.

"Don't worry, we'll handle it!" Sora said, drawing the Keyblade. He charged at the Assault Rider, only to be knocked back by its mighty lance.

A couple undead looking creatures wearing purple appeared, hovering just above the ground. The Nightwalkers flung themselves at Sora for the attack.

Riku easily blocked and took out the creatures. "Olette! Donald! Cast a spell on the Assault Rider! We can't get near it with that lance!"

Olette nodded. "Fire!" Flames shot out of the wand, swirling around her. "Huh?"

"Wrong spell!" Donald snapped. "Blizzard!" The ice shot at the Assault Rider and made it stumble back. "If you want to use Fire, focus on the target more!"

Olette turned back to the creature. "Fire!" This time, the fireball went straight at the creature and pounded it hard. The Heartless lost its balance and fell.

While it struggled to get back onto its feet, Sora ran up and slashed the Heartless in its chest. The creature's body fell apart in a whirl of dark clouds. A lone heart drifted up into the sky and vanished.

"Gawrsh, are you okay?" Goofy asked, helping the woman up.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered. She held her stomach slightly.

Donald and Sora stared at her for a minute. "Mulan!" Sora shouted, finally recognizing her. "No way! Why'd you let that thing walk all over you? You coulda taken it!"

Mulan looked down at the dusty road. "I would have, but I can't fight. Not now."

Olette gasped. "You're gonna have a baby?" she asked, adding up the facts. When Mulan nodded, she shouted, "Congratulations!"

"So, you and the Captain are married now?" asked Donald, dumbfounded.

"We weren't invited to the wedding?" joked Sora.

Mulan laughed. "The wedding was actually kind of sudden. Why don't you come to our house? I'll get you all some tea and snacks." She led them down the road to a huge courtyard in front of a giant house. There were cherry blossom trees in full bloom and it was snowing pink petals. She led them to a sliding door made of paper over a wooden frame.

"This is such a beautiful house!" Olette said, smiling.

"I'm still getting used to it," said Mulan, pouring some warm tea into Chinese-style teacups. She left the room and came back with some dumplings.

Roxas just sipped his tea. Looking at food still made him feel slightly nauseous. The room was big, and the table took up the middle. They were sitting or kneeling on pillows that surrounded it. Comfortable as it was, Roxas kept glancing around nervously. Something wasn't quite right.

A small red lizard stomped in. "I've had it Mulan! Your Ancestors are a bunch of jerks! I'm _never_**** working with them again!"

"Then you won't be a family guardian, Mushu," laughed Mulan. "Oh, say hi to Sora and the others."

Mushu jumped. "Sora? Donald? Goofy? I can't believe it! What are you guys doing back?"

"Well, an Assault Rider Heartless attacked Mulan," accused Donald. "If you're a guardian, how come you weren't with Mulan? You should have protected her!"

Trying to get off the subject, Mulan said, "You haven't introduced your new friends, Sora."

Sora grinned, realizing this too. He pointed to each in turn, saying their name.

"So you found your friend Riku. I'm happy for you." She smiled. She glanced out of the window. "The sun's starting to set. Would you all like to stay the night?"

"Can we look around a bit?" asked Pence, standing up. "This place is so amazing!"

With a chuckle, Mulan nodded. "Just don't go out the gate. It does lock and we might not remember to let you back in."

The paper screen door banged open and a man with his hair tied back into a bun stormed in. Unlike Mushu, who'd looked defeated, he was enraged by something. It was all over his face. "Heartless everywhere! We can't beat them all!"

"Shang," said Mulan desperately. "Calm down! Please!"

"Gawrsh, maybe we can help," suggested Goofy. "We fought them a lot before."

Hayner nodded. "Yeah, we can beat them!"

The group had to reintroduce themselves for Shang. Once introductions were out of the way, he said, "I don't want to seem rude, but I don't think you can handle this many."

"We've proven ourselves before!" Sora reminded him. "To more people than just you, too!"

Shang's eyes fell onto Roxas. "Are you all right?"

"Case of the flu," Selena stated flatly. "Mind if he gets some sleep?"

Mulan jumped up. "Of course! Follow me." She led them down a corridor. She had to light a candle, since the light was fading fast. "Don't mind Shang," she said to Roxas, Selena, and Olette. Hayner and Pence, eager to practice some more fighting techniques, had rushed out into the garden. Olette was aiding Roxas, since his legs felt like lead. "He's been on the edge recently."

She showed Roxas to a large room. She pulled a mattress-looking thing away from the wall. "I hope you're comfortable." She quickly left to make dinner for the others.

"Good night Roxas," Olette said before following Mulan. "Wait, I can help cook!"

Roxas sat down onto the pad. "This is like a sleeping bag..."

"It's cheaper and takes less space. This room is probably used for something else during the day." Selena smiled and felt Roxas's forehead. "Your fever's almost gone. How do you feel?"

"Tired," muttered Roxas as he curled up under the blanket. Stifling a yawn, Roxas closed his eyes.

"Get some rest," Selena said as she blew out the candle Mulan had left.

* * *

Something was prodding Roxas's arm. He opened his eyes and sat up to see what it was. It was dark, probably around midnight. Enough moonlight filtered through one of the windows to see. Roxas jumped up and took a step back from his late night visitor.

A man in a black coat with shackles on his wrists and ankles stood before him. Though he didn't move to grab Roxas or anything, his presence was still eerie.

"What do you want?" Roxas shouted, hoping to wake someone else in the house up. He was still backing away from the man and tripped over a lump. A loud thud resounded around the room.

"What'd you do that for?" came Pence's muffled voice. His friend sat up, knocking Roxas off of him. "Sorry dude. What—?" His eyes fell on the Nobody before them. "What's he doing here?"

The man's lips moved, but no sound came out. Just behind him, the screen door flung open, and Selena and Olette charged in, followed by Mulan and Shang. The Nobody took one look at them and shook his head. Once again, his mouth moved, but nothing came but silence. He then disappeared into a dark portal.

"What was that about?" Pence inquired, still staring at where the man had been standing. "I mean, he didn't even try anything."

"_'Beware the wind's melody'_..." Roxas quoted. "That's what the guy said. What did he mean?"

"I didn't hear anything," Olette muttered with a frown. She noticed Hayner a few feet away, sprawled out on his mat. She kicked him hard in the side.

"Ow!" Hayner moaned, sitting up. "What'd I do?"

Olette glared daggers at him. "Roxas was in real trouble, and you didn't help! You slept right through it all!"

Selena was the one most perturbed by what Roxas had said. "Wind's melody..." she whispered, as if speaking the words would solve the riddle. "And you said you heard him say it Roxas? Are you positive?"

Unable to stop himself, Roxas shouted, "Of course he said that! Didn't you guys hear him?"

"He was using an old connection I didn't think existed still within Roxas..." she mumbled to herself. "We'll talk about this more in the morning, okay? Roxas, you feeling any better?"

Confused, he nodded. What was she talking about with an 'old connection'? "How come I heard him and no one else did?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Selena said, leaving the room. "Let's all just go back to sleep. We'll discuss it in the morning, all right?"

Pouting a little, Roxas sat back down on his bed. "What if that Nobody comes back?" he asked. "I don't want him getting me or something!"

Selena either didn't hear or didn't care to respond, for she just continued down the hallway. Olette glanced back at the boys. "Don't worry, you'll be fine!" She followed Selena.

Roxas lay back in his floor bed again. He'd just have to get answers tomorrow. Stretching, he closed his eyes and somehow drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

I seem to end chapters a lot with characters going to sleep... Anywho, read and review. I might not update for a while, since I'm going to Strings Camp. Don't expect anything right away. Later!


	9. Wind's Melody

**Chapter 9: Wind's Melody**

Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you like the chapter! More at the end!

* * *

Sunlight brightened the room when Roxas finally awoke. Blinking until his eyes adjusted, he sat up and yawned. Hayner was still asleep, but Pence was sitting very zombie-like. Maybe what happened was just a dream.

Something on the floor caught Roxas's eye. The small object was a key chain, shaped like a heart with a thorned X in the center. Black, with red lines. Had Roxas seen this before somewhere?

A muffled groan behind him made Roxas pocket the strange charm. "Mornin' Roxas," Hayner said. "So, what happened last night that made Olette so mad at me again?"

"So it wasn't a dream, then?" Roxas thought hard. "A Nobody appeared and gave me a warning, but that was it. No kidnapping plot or anything."

"Seriously? That doesn't sound like those regular freaks..." Hayner prodded Pence. "Come on, wake up!"

The small group made their way through the hall. Everyone minus Sora was at the table eating, of all things, rice. Roxas sat down and shoveled in the food placed in front of him. The breakfast may have been strange, but he was starving.

"It's good to see you're feeling better!" Olette said with a smile. "We were all worried!"

All the same, Selena felt his forehead. "Fever's gone, but I'd still take it easy on eating, ok? I don't think we want to see your breakfast again."

"You said you'd explain what happened yesterday," Pence reminded Selena.

She blinked. "I did?" she asked, pretending to try to remember. "I honestly don't recall—"

"Quit trying to weasel out of it!" Hayner growled. "You said you would, and we're holding you to it!"

Frustrated, Selena set down her bowl. "Ah well, I tried. The 'connection' I referred to is a link between all Nobodies. Any Nobody can use the link to speak telepathically, but there are many loopholes and what not.

"Anyone who is a Nobody can speak with another person they're connected to: a Nobody, or they're 'Other'. A Nobody's Other is the person who lost their heart."

"So, Sora used to be Roxas's Other?" said Goofy, his hand on his chin.

"Exactly!" Selena said with a nod. "Anyway, since Roxas isn't a Nobody anymore, he can't use the connection, but it still exists. Nobodies can still communicate with him short range."

"But what about the riddle?" Pence said. "What does it mean?"

Selena paused and thought for a moment. "I don't know," she said, sounding defeated. "If Varan were here, she might understand, but I don't."

Roxas put down his half-eaten bowl of rice. "We'll think of something. Does the wind sing or something?"

Everyone stared at him as if he were crazy. Selena thought for a moment. "Maybe I'm not taking it literally enough..."

"What?" Mulan said, staring at her.

Silence.

"Selena! You sleeping with your eyes open?" Pence waved a hand in front of her face.

"That's it!" Selena cried happily. "I get it! 'Wind's Melody' refers to music played on a Woodwind instrument! We'll just have to avoid that kind of music for now!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and we'll just have to avoid flutes for our entire lives," he muttered sarcastically.

"You're a genius!" Selena shouted. "The Flutes of Light and Darkness! Of course! They're very powerful! That Nobody just _had_ to have meant that!"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Selena? I was being sarcastic."

"You still helped her figure it out though," commented Hayner.

Roxas just remembered. He pulled the small charm he'd found from his pocket. It glittered menacingly. "I think that Nobody dropped this, but I'm not sure."

Selena took it and traced the lines on it. "A Heartless symbol?" Kairi inquired, looking over Selena's shoulder. "Why would a Nobody have that?"

"A clue?" Donald suggested. "Maybe to that flute riddle?"

"No, it can't be. The Heartless don't have lips most of the time. I don't think they even have mouths," Selena commented, pocketing the charm herself. "Maybe a hint to which Nobody he is. I don't know."

A sad tune filtered in through the windows, drawing Roxas's attention away from the conversation. It was calling him, gently prodding him to follow it. He stood. "Mind if I go into the garden, Mulan?"

"Go ahead. You didn't have to ask," Mulan said with a laugh.

Roxas nodded and went out.

Hayner glanced after Roxas. "He's acting weird again..." he pointed out. "Maybe we should follow him."

"I think he just wants to know who's playing that flute," said Pence just before gulping up more rice.

"What flute?" inquired Olette. "I don't hear anything."

Riku stood up. "I hear it too. Selena, The Flute of Darkness... Can it only be heard by people with dark hearts?"

Confused, Selena answered, "If you have a heart on Twilight, you can hear both." Then she understood. "Oh no! Roxas is under a spell! Come on! We have to follow him!"

"Mulan, you stay here, all right?" Sora said. "The Captain would kill me if you got hurt."

They went into the courtyard and saw Roxas just turn the corner. Nodding to each other, they followed. Roxas went into a bamboo grove. The group almost lost sight of him, but managed to keep on his trail.

Pence bent over his knees. "How come I can hear the music too? I'm not a bad guy!"

Riku rolled his eyes once again. "Jeez, dark hearts don't mean evil! It's like having blonde hair doesn't make you stupid. It's called 'stereotyping'."

As he was saying this, a bunch of Nightwalkers appeared.

"This is just what we need right now," growled Donald, taking three out with one Firaga spell. Sora targeted one and started pummeling it until it disappeared. Olette helped Donald with spells. Hayner hit the creatures, but it took him much longer to defeat and opponent than Sora and Riku. Pence and Goofy were on the defensive, making sure their friends weren't hit by the Heartless's attacks and occasionally charging at an opponent.

Selena searched around. "We lost him!" she yelled when the battle was over.

They glanced around, and Riku pointed to his left. "The music's in that direction, you know."

They all followed Riku and Pence. At least they could hear which direction was right. As they got closer though, both Riku and Pence covered their ears. "It's really getting loud," Pence said, louder than he needed too.

"We must be getting close," agreed Riku. Unlike Pence, he spoke in a normal tone. "I can barely hear myself think..." he muttered.

The group finally reached a clearing. Roxas stood in the center in front of a girl playing a jet-black flute. She had dark curly hair and was wearing clothes with many buckles and zippers—she was another world traveler.

A dark portal appeared and a man with a blonde mullet stepped out. He had sapphires for eyes and was wearing the Organization's trademarked black coat. "Nice job!" he complimented, grabbing Roxas's limp arm. "He's not even wearing that annoying necklace! Told him to toss it, Carmen?"

The girl opened her sand-colored eyes. "He didn't have one," she said, lowering the flute from her lips. As she did so, Roxas's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, arm still in the Nobody's hand. "I kept my end of the bargain, so keep yours!"

"Hey, I'm one of the nicest Nobodies you'll find!" said the man with a laugh. He held out his hand, where a little ball of feathery fluff sat. "Take your little bird. It's been driving me nuts anyway."

"Kari!" Carmen cried, quickly snatching the yellow bird from his hand.

Roxas stirred and opened his eyes. His head was spinning, but why? He glanced around the clearing. He saw Carmen with her flute—had she been the one he heard? —and then looked into the man's face. "Demyx!" he shouted, trying desperately to escape the Organization member's firm grasp. It was a futile attempt.

"Come on, Roxas! You know just as well as I do I don't like to fight!" Demyx moaned, jerking Roxas's arm so that the boy fell backward. "Later!" he said to Carmen and he disappeared through a dark portal with Roxas.

"Roxas!" Hayner shouted, running into the clearing. "Why'd you do that?" he shouted at Carmen.

The girl was holding her bird close to her, protecting it from their eyes. "None of your business! He took someone very important from me, and I had to get her back."

Selena sighed. "Do you know where Demyx might have taken Roxas?"

The bird in Carmen's hands chirped loudly. It kept chirping in what seemed random ways. "I don't know where they—" Carmen started.

"I wasn't asking you," Selena said, smiling. "Thank you, Karyubinga!" she said to the bird. "The Karyubinga said Demyx's hideout is up—"

Sora interrupted. "How'd you know what it was saying?"

"A Karyubinga is another version of a Phoenix. They're a lot smarter than people give them credit for." Selena pointed to the hill that started in the clearing. "Up that hill is a path to the mountains. Demyx's hideout is up there."

Carmen watched as the group as they turned to leave. "Wait!" she cried. Selena paused. "I want to apologize. I'm sorry your friend was kidnapped, but I had to get Kari back!" Carmen got on her knees and bowed. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

Selena smiled faintly. "Don't worry about it. We'll get Roxas back." She turned away, but hesitated before saying, "If you really want to make amends, one of the Karyubinga feathers would work just fine."

Though Kari chirped in protest, Carmen handed Selena one of the small golden feathers. "What will you do with it? Karyubinga are known to be cursed in my world."

"Not cursed, misunderstood. My friend has been looking for a Karyubinga feather for a long time. This'll make her happy." Selena waved goodbye as she jogged away from Carmen.

The group stumbled up the grassy slope until they reached the rocky terrain of the cliffs. There was a short earthquake and a bunch of tall tower-like creatures appeared. Their head was near the bottom of the tower though, and didn't seem connected to the rest of their bodies.

"Bolt Towers!" Sora shouted, drawing his Keyblade once more. "Can't we get a break?"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade, which had a red and yellow pole. The part that formed the key had flowers. The handle was elegantly curved, and the metal from it wound up the Keyblade like vines. The key chain that hung off looked like a star, more specifically a Paupu fruit. "Gullwings!" she shouted, throwing the small stone Yuna had given her into the air.

The stone broke and a beam shot from it down into Kairi's Keyblade. The beam then shot out the tip of the blade as three separate lights. The three Gullwings were posed now, Yuna in the center with Rikku and Paine on either side of her. Yuna had her arms forward with a gun in each hand, kneeling in the air. Pain was to her left, holding her huge sword in battle position. Rikku was on Yuna's right, knees bent and holding two sickle-like blades in her hands. "Y.R.P. in position!" they shouted, each taking the first initial of their names and then shouting the ending together.

Before anything started, they all nodded to each other and kissed Sora, Yuna on the forehead, Pain on one cheek, and Rikku on the other, much to Kairi's annoyance and Sora's shock. That done, Yuna started firing her guns wildly with her ability Trigger Happy, hitting the different Heartless multiple times with the shots. Paine's blade caught fire as she used the attack Flametongue. Rikku simple twirled her blades and mugged the opponent, handing the random Munny and potion she'd taken back to Kairi.

When Kairi almost collapsed from the exhaustion of keeping the three girls there, they did a couple cute poses and vanished. At that point, the others easily took out the few remaining Heartless.

"That was great, Kairi!" Sora complimented, helping Kairi to stay on her feet. "I can't believe you managed to keep them summoned that long!"

Selena said, "Her Keyblade is called 'The Summoner' for a reason. It absorbed the ability to summon the Gullwings, so you won't have to worry about losing the summon gem. Anyway, as you get better at summoning, you should be able to keep them fighting longer. Maybe you could have a few in play at once!"

Olette frowned. "I wanna be able to do that!"

"Might be best if Kairi handles it. You have magic, Olette." Pence glanced at the narrow path they'd been following. A rockslide blocked the end. "Oh no."

Riku drew his Way to Dawn once more and slashed a rock, making it crumble. The others fell and broke as well, becoming a pile of gravel. "Now there's no problem."

Since Riku was the best at destroying the random roadblocks, he led the way through the gorge. They finally reached the end of the cliff walls, reaching a small village covered in snow off the mountain. It was bustling with life, but more specifically guards.

"If it isn't the pip squeaks," said a rough voice. The group turned to see a very hairy, short man walk up to them, accompanied by someone who gave beanpole a whole new meaning and a fat guy who was probably more muscle than anything else.

"Who you calling a pip squeak?" snapped Donald, crossing his arms.

"Hey Yao, Ling, Chen Po. We're kinda in a hurry," said Sora. "We need to help a friend of ours who was kidnapped by an evil idiot."

"Then you should get on your way," said the big one, Chen Po.

Ling backed up slightly. "And we can't help you because we're on... Guard Duty! That's it!"

"Ah, you're a chicken," responded Yao in his rough, low voice.

Riku rolled his eyes. "The guy we're after probably is more powerful than all three of you and pretty good at fooling people by pretending to be a coward."

"Oh, look at the time," said Yao, backing away a few steps. "We need to get back to guard duty. Later!" They all ran away.

Hayner glared at Riku. "You just _had_ to say that, didn't you?" he grumbled accusingly.

"If they'd just run off when we try to fight, then there's no point in asking them to come along," Olette pointed out.

Pence agreed. "Those guys probably wouldn't be able to fight that Nobody too well, anyway. Who knows what that guy's power is!"

Sora raised his hand slightly, like he was in school still. "Um, I fought Demyx. He's a kook and a coward."

"He controls water with his guitar!" added Donald.

"Gawrsh, and he can make versions of himself out of water," said Goofy. "He's not very powerful."

Hayner shook his head while looking at the overcast sky. "No duh! That's why he used tricks to get Roxas!"

Kairi pointed to the path leading higher in the mountains. "Hurry! Who knows what he's done to Roxas by now!"

* * *

Roxas was flung hard to the ground and was breathing heavily. He'd tried to escape from Demyx when they'd gone through the portal, so Demyx easily pulled him into a strangle hold. He glanced around the room he was now in.

The place was dusty, as if it had been built and then never used. Metallic silver and blue showed from underneath the dirt and grime. The computer panels to his right were flashing different colors while Demyx hit some buttons.

Now was his chance to run for it! He pushed off with his back foot to get more power in the dash, but was halted when Demyx grabbed his shirt color. His feet flew out in front of him, and he fell onto his back, coughing and choking.

"Wouldn't do that," Demyx sighed. "You don't know how much trouble I went through to capture you." He finished whatever he was doing on the computer and grabbed Roxas's arm.

Desperately, Roxas once again tried to pull away. Though he was leaning back and letting his feet drag before him, Demyx managed to pull him to a giant, egg-shaped crystal. For a split second, Roxas stared at the monstrous crystal thing.

Demyx took the chance to shove him inside the thing and run over to a control panel. Shocked from the sudden movement, Roxas turned toward the opening just in time to watch it close. He banged on the glass, but it held strong. What kind of prison was this?

"No point trying to fight," Demyx said lazily. "You won't care in a minute." He hit a button on the keyboard.

Roxas's entire body went numb. A surge of pain pulsed through repeatedly and started to dull his senses. He cried out, leaning against the front of the chamber. Hardly able to keep his balance, he slid down the wall slightly. The pain was still coursing through him. He fell to his knees and held himself tight, clenching his teeth.

Still pain.

He was gasping now, and he felt his eyes watering. He closed his eyes so Demyx wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing him cry. "What are you doing to me?" he managed to choke out.

Demyx put a finger in his ear, cleaning out some earwax. "Won't matter in a minute. You'll know as soon as it's over."

Minutes passed, and it became apparent nothing was happening other than the pain. Roxas opened his eyes finally, letting the tears spill out. Demyx was frantically typing on the keyboard. "Why won't it work?" he growled to himself. "The Boss isn't going to like this..."

Roxas sucked in his breath quickly as another wave of pain flashed through him. Everything was starting to blur—or was it the tears? _'Help me!'_ he thought. _'Someone help me! Please!'_

The pain was becoming unbearable now. His chest felt warm, like something was being forced out. _'My heart!'_ he thought. More pain. His mind felt like it was slowing now.

The doors slid open. Demyx spun around to face the intruders. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in the lead, weapons already drawn. The others were just behind him, getting their weapons ready. Selena gasped when she found Roxas. She whispered something inaudible to Riku, who nodded.

"Let Roxas go!" Sora commanded, pointing the Keyblade at Demyx.

Demyx took a few steps backward, holding his hands in front of him, as if to block any blows. "Sorry, can't do that. I'd face scarier things from the Boss if I just rolled over and let you take him." He held his hand above him and his blue guitar-like weapon appeared. "You'll have to beat me and my Suitar first!"

"We already finished Zexion!" Olette reminded the cowardice Nobody. "Won't be too hard to kick your butt."

"Ah, don't be like that!" Demyx begged. "I have a heart, not like Zexy!"

Pence glared. "You can't fool us with that act! We aren't stupid!"

Demyx sighed and glanced at the ground. "All I want is to have a heart. Is that so wrong?"

Kairi looked at him piteously. "So you decided you wanted Roxas's?"

Demyx shook his head. "The Superior said that if I turned Roxas into a Nobody, they'd tell me how to find my heart."

The group was thoroughly confused now. Demyx took the chance to strum his suitar and summon his watery versions of himself. "Take care of them!" he shouted.

The water started attacking everyone, but Sora easily grabbed onto one in mid-move. The thing went wild, and Sora swung it at its fellow water forms. Demyx nervously took a step back again. "This is bad..." he muttered to himself.

Finally the pain ended for Roxas. His head drooped and his arms went limp. He hovered for a few seconds in his prison, and then a light escaped his chest. A glittering heart floated in front of where it should have been in his body.

With a quick glance, Demyx spun around to type something on the computer. It was a futile effort, though. Riku had stabbed the Way to Dawn straight into the Nobody's back. Demyx fell into a heap on the floor, screaming bloody murder. "I can't die yet!" he screamed. "Not yet!"

Once again, Selena knelt next to the writhing Demyx, much like she had for Zexion. She pulled out what looked like a half a heart. Music notes were spinning on the inside. "You won't die, but you'll still be a Nobody," she whispered, placing the heart into his heaving chest. "You'll still have to keep up the charade."

Demyx curled into a small ball on the floor, catching his breath. "Why help me?" he breathed. "I tried to turn your friend into a Nobody. I tried to break his heart."

Selena didn't answer. Instead, she stood and typed something on the computer.

Feeling returned to Roxas's limbs as his heart went back to its proper place. He opened his eyes slowly, like he was in a trance. He banged his fists on the closed door of the crystal, now that his strength had returned.

Steadying himself on the panel, Demyx typed something. The doors opened and Roxas jumped out before the Nobody could change his mind.

"Hey, come to think of it..." Demyx mumbled, "Axel's been acting weirder than usual lately... You gave him back his heart too!"

Without much thought, Selena nodded and said, "Tell anyone, and I'll make sure you die."

True fear spread across Demyx's face as she said it. "Don't hurt me!" he cried. "I'll do anything!"

"Then fill us in on the Organization's plans," Riku said.

"I can't tell you that! They'd kill me!" Demyx's voice shook. "Besides, I don't even know them. Those guys don't tell me anything! I'm just the messenger, honest!"

Kairi tilted her head slightly. "Think we can trust him?"

Selena nodded. "Can you and Axel keep us informed on the Organization's movements?" she requested.

"Of course!" Demyx promised. "Now I just gotta fake being injured..." His voice trailed off as Hayner punched his fist. "I said fake! Not _real_!" Before Hayner could slug him, Demyx had disappeared through a dark portal.

* * *

"Well, that was pathetic," Sora commented once they'd reached the Gummi Ship.

"Where are we going now?" Pence inquired.

Sora thought for a minute, knowing the decision was his. "How about the Coliseum? Gotta say hi to Herc and the others!"

Selena hit some buttons. "I have it on Autopilot. I'm getting some sleep." She stretched lazily, but Roxas spoke before she could close her eyes.

"Why'd you bring me back?" he asked.

Selena shook her head. "That doesn't matter. Would you rather not exist?" When Roxas replied he wanted to live, Selena replied, "Then that's all that counts. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, all right?" She closed her eyes and said, "Now I need to catch up on some sleep."

"After the incident with the Nobody showing up, Selena didn't go back to bed," Olette explained. "Let her get her forty winks, okay? A girl needs her beauty sleep."

"How would you know that?" Hayner asked sarcastically. "You definitely don't sleep. Shouldn't you be uglier than you already are?" He stopped teasing her when he got slapped.

Roxas laughed and hit the button that made the walls transparent. He wanted to see the reaches of space again.

* * *

**Credits Corner:**

Karyubinga is an imaginary bird in India that is said to have inspired the Chinese Phoenix. I first learned of Karyubinga from a manga called Dream Saga. Great book so read it!

Carmen is NOT Carmen San Diego or whatever her name is from that annoying thief show/game. Carmen is just a random character I needed to play that flute and have Karyubinga, since Demyx has yet to prove useful at anything but playing the guitar.

I'd like to thank Gamepunk510 for telling me what the Bolt Towers were called. I honestly couldn't remember their name and I couldn't reach the PS2 (cough, brother was using it, cough cough)

Some video on YouTube that had Kairi's Long Forgotten Keyblade in it.

That fan art pic I have for Kingdom Hearts that someone drew. The FFX-2 girls were flirting with good ol' Sora, with Kairi screaming "He's Mine" in the background and Riku silently complaining that "The Dumb Blond stole his name". I thank whoever drew that. Lol.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took me 5 days to write! Well, I did stop randomly for DDR and other stuff... lol. See you later!

Word count? 4,225


	10. Battles of the Coliseum

**Chapter 10: Battles of the Coliseum**

"So... how come you knew the Door to Darkness wasn't in Mulan's world?" Roxas asked.

Selena looked up from her project, a brainteaser. "I have my ways. It doesn't matter, anyway."

Olette pulled out a small laptop; much like the one Varan had been messing with on the Gummi to Disney Castle. "I think something's wrong with this thing Varan gave me. It doesn't _do_**** anything..." She practically dropped it when it started beeping. Confused, Olette hit one of the keys.

"Finally!" came Varan's voice. "I've been trying to contact you for the past two hours!"

Roxas looked at the screen of the laptop, and saw Varan's face. Smiling, she said, "Hi Roxas. Is Selena hanging around?"

"We're on the Gummi Ship. Of course I'm here." Selena rolled her eyes. "Did you teach Olette how to work the telecom on that thing?"

"I gave her a basic idea, if that's what you mean," replied Varan simply. "Anyway, find anything on the Door to Darkness yet?"

Selena shook her head. "Nothing in the Land of Dragons. Not even a heart shard."

"I see. You'll find something in the next world! You're horoscope's looking good today!" Varan smiled.

Laughing, Selena said, "You know just as well as I do that those are fake!"

"Ah, but you cheered up. That's all that matters. What world are you going to next?"

Sora grinned. "The Coliseum!"

"Say 'hi' to Hades for me then. And make sure you taunt him about his 'hair' again, all right? Can't let him get too happy." Varan laughed evilly.

"What are you laughing at?" came a voice. A literally green person poked her head in and stared at the screen. "Interesting..."

"Elphaba, shouldn't you be making sure the spell I used on Fiyero to fix that curse doesn't have any adverse effects? He could blow up for no reason!" Varan said, looking at the green woman. "That spell hasn't ever been tested!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes and disappeared from view.

"So Elphie wasn't melted?" Selena inquired, confused.

"Yeah, apparently she fooled Oz somehow, but won't tell me how she did it!" Varan's brow furrowed. "Doesn't really matter though... Talk to you later, kay?" The screen went black and Olette closed the window.

"That was an interesting conversation..." Pence commented.

"Wasn't it?" was Selena's reply. "We're almost there, people."

Hayner stood up and stretched. "Finally!" he groaned. "My legs were getting stiff.

* * *

The place they beamed down to was the strangest yet. It was dark, like an underground cavern, and the water was tinted green. A mist hovered just above the rocky floor. The air was cold and damp, clinging to their skin.

"Welcome to the Underworld," Selena said dramatically. "This is one land of the dead among the worlds."

"So... there are more?" Sora asked, confused.

"You don't think Hades would be in charge of it all, do you?" Selena said with a smile. "Too much power would make anyone go crazy."

"What is that?" Hayner pointed to a white coliseum across the water. Spotlights pointed to the ceiling and moved back and forth to draw attention like at movie theaters.

"That's the Underdrome," said Donald. "Hades opened it."

Sora shook a fist at the building. "If I ever find who unlocked it, I'll punch him!" He smacked his fist into his open hand.

"Allow me," said Riku. Sora blinked confused, but then Riku hit him on the top of his head.

"What did I do?" Sora asked.

Riku rolled his eyes. "You were the one who unlocked the stupid thing."

All the while, Roxas wasn't watching the others as they bickered. Movement drew his attention to a huge door. Without alerting the others, Roxas made a break for the huge doorway. He'd made it through by the time anyone noticed his absence.

"Roxas!" Olette called, about to chase after him.

Sora yanked a coin from his pocket with a cloud shooting a lightning bolt coming from it. He flipped the coin into the air and a light emanated from it. The brightness engulfed them and then faded. "Let's hurry!"

"Underworld Curse," said Goofy stupidly as he loped after his friend.

"It weakens you," added Donald.

Roxas on the other hand, was still chasing the ghostly figure he'd seen. Entering a room with mist carpeting the floor, Roxas hesitantly continued. The ground dropped out from below him and he disappeared below the sea of clouds. He crashed on the floor, but somehow was able to stand. He glanced up at the cliff and realized the impossible drop he'd just survived.

Realizing the mist had somehow slowed his fall, he shrugged and continued, having trouble seeing through the thick fog. He rounded a couple of corners and found an entrance hidden by boulders.

He climbed up a steep slope and found himself on a platform-like mosaic. The phantom he'd been chasing laid a few feet away, unconscious. Confused, Roxas approached. When he tried to kneel down next to the girl, he fell. He felt tired and his legs could barely hold his own weight.

The girl had blonde hair and a white dress, but because of how she lay, he couldn't see her face. Determined, he flipped her over onto her back and brushed some hair from her face.

All at once, a head-splitting pain went through his skull and his heart pounded. Roxas's vision started blurring and his limbs felt numb. His heart was pounding so hard that it was difficult for him to breathe properly. The room was spinning. It was worse than when he'd remembered the Organization, but why? Who was this girl?

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" said a voice dripping with sarcasm. Roxas looked up to see a tall blue-skinned man wearing a black toga. "Two kids who wandered into the Underworld!" The man chuckled, as if finding it funny. His hair crackled as he cackled. Roxas's eyes widened. His hair was on fire!

"Who are you?" Roxas asked, winded.

"Hades, Lord of the Dead. Nice to meet you," Hades said, as if he'd introduced himself the same way thousands of times. "And you, my boy, are a living being, and therefore trespassing on my Underworld!" He turned red and his hair flared up.

"Leave him alone, Hades!" Sora shouted, running toward his foe, Keyblade drawn. He tried to slash the God of the Underworld, but missed as Hades disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Roxas!" Olette cried, seeing the incapacitated forms. She knelt down and shook Roxas slightly. "Roxas! Wake up!"

"There's no point," Selena sighed. "He's remembering. The Underworld's curse probably got to him too."

Hayner poked the girl next to Roxas. "Who's this?"

Sora, Riku, and Kairi stared at the lifeless form for a moment, and then shouted in unison, "NAMINÉ!"

"Who?" Goofy asked, confused.

"Yeah, I don't recognize her," added Donald.

Riku lifted her off the ground gently, so that one arm supported her back and the other was under her knees. "Let's leave before that moron gets back. We could have problems later because of him."

"What about Roxas?" Pence asked. "We have to get him out too, but none of us can carry him!"

Sora thought for a second. "Well, if any Heartless or Nobodies show up, I'll have to be able to fight... Hayner, how about you carry him?"

"What? You made that up so you wouldn't be stuck with the job!" Hayner snapped. "Pence should, since he doesn't really fight."

"But you're taller," Olette reminded him. "You and Roxas are practically the same size. You carry him."

Sora rolled his eyes and pulled Roxas onto his back. "Does it really matter? Jeez! If we're attacked by Heartless, it's not my fault I can't fight very well!"

And thus they left the Underworld.

* * *

Roxas was standing in darkness. He felt lightheaded, but something supported him so he didn't fall. Once his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw a woman before him.

She was wearing long white robes and had blonde hair that brushed the ground. She had gold eyes and chalk white skin. "Are you sure you wish to follow this path?" she asked.

Confused, Roxas said, "Of course! I already made my decision! Why should I change my mind now?"

"You have almost become a Nobody again," said a voice behind him. Roxas spun around and caught a glimpse of a woman in black robes. She looked identical to the woman in white, but had large black bird wings instead of the white ones the white-clad one had. "Doesn't that frighten you?"

'_What's going on?'_ Roxas thought. "Who are you both?"

"I am a fragment that creates hearts," said the woman in white.

"I am a fragment that gives renewed life," said the woman in black.

"We are whole, yet incomplete," they both said in unison.

Their explanation perplexed Roxas even more. "What do you mean?"

"The Realm of the Light is glowing brightly," said the woman in white.

"But is vanquishing the Realm of Darkness," finished the woman in black.

"The boy who is both yet never walks along Twilight shall save the Realms from the chaos that has befallen them," they chorused together.

Even more confused, Roxas said, "Um... Do you come with translations?"

The woman in white said, "You can hear us perfectly well."

"So why do you need to understand?" concluded the black one.

"All you need to do is heed our warning," they said.

"The Realm of Light shall vanish," said the white.

"If the Realm of Darkness collapses," said the black.

"And all the worlds are doomed."

"It is time for you to return to your dimension," said the one in white.

"We cannot hold you here any longer," said the one in black.

In their final sentance, they said, "Good luck to you."

* * *

Roxas's eyes shot open. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the brightly-lit room. The walls were a yellowish stone, and judging by the makings, the room was a lobby of some sort. He'd been propped up against one of the walls, since he'd been unconscious.

"You're okay!" Olette cried happily, hugging Roxas. "We were so worried!"

"What happened?" Roxas asked, confused. Hadn't they just been in the Underworld?

Riku crossed his arms. "You passed out, remember? We got you out of the Underworld, since the curse was probably making you really weak."

"What about Naminé?" Roxas asked, standing up. He wobbled slightly, but was able to reach Naminé a couple of feet away.

Now that he could see her properly, he realized Naminé looked horrible. He'd always remembered her as pale, but now she looked like a porcelain doll. Her bones showed underneath her flesh, making it apparent she hadn't had a proper meal for a long time. Her hair was matted and had some dirt caked into it. Her clothes were disheveled, torn in a few a few places.

Horrified, Roxas turned to the others. "Will she be all right? Did the Heartless do this to her?"

Selena felt Roxas's forehead. "I'm more worried about you at the moment. She woke up for a few minutes and then went back to sleep. You hardly stirred." She removed her hand. "Your breathing was abnormal for a little while too."

"We thought you were going to die or something!" added Pence. "You nearly stopped breathing a couple of times!"

Hayner nodded. "It's true. Don't scare us like that, got it?"

Roxas turned back to Naminé slightly. "What is she doing here anyway?"

"No idea. She was only half awake last time," Kairi said. "We couldn't get a straight answer."

Changing the subject, Roxas said, "I had a weird dream... There were two people in it or something... They kept babbling about the Realms and some other stuff. It made no sense."

Selena thought for a moment. "Tell us when we leave. There are complications here we need to take care of first."

"Like?" Hayner asked.

Selena pulled out a container with glass over a needle. "This compass points toward moving portal to the Realm of Darkness." The needle spun around like crazy. "The problem is, pieces of heart interfere with it... If they aren't in a special seal, they make it so this thing doesn't work at all."

"So, we have to find the heart pieces in this world so they stop messing the compass up," concluded Sora. "That shouldn't be too hard."

Hooves clicking on the stone floor, drawing Roxas's attention to the open doorway before him. A short, fat man with the lower body of a goat hobbled over. He was balding and had little curly horns sticking out of his head.

A tall muscular man followed the goat man. He had bronze colored hair held back by a headband and large blue eyes. "How are you're friends?" he asked.

The last human inside was a woman with brown hair wearing a purple dress. A winged white horse with a blue mane trotted happily after her.

There was a quiet groan from behind them. Naminé opened her deep blue eyes and glanced around the lobby. "Where am I...? Wasn't I in the Underworld?"

Roxas knelt down beside her. "Are you feeling all right?"

Naminé giggled softly. "Yes, I'm fine. It was probably the Underworld's curse."

"What were you doing down there anyway?" the woman in purple asked. "You look half starved, too. Going to Hades to make it easier when you die?" Sarcasm was in every single word.

Naminé smiled and said, equally as sarcastic, "No, I was going to have a picnic down there. I just love the smell of sewers."

"Hmph. You're pretty good. Name's Meg." The woman in purple walked past them and through the large blue and gold double doors.

"Don't mind Meg," said the tall man. "I'm Hercules, professional hero, and this is Phil."

Phil crossed his fat arms. "Another tournament's coming up," he said, nodding to a trophy cup on a shelf. "Starts in an hour. Want to join in, Sora? You, Donald, and Goofy are the only ones among you who are allowed in."

"Gawrsh! Can we really?" Goofy asked.

"Sure we can! We've entered every other tournament," replied Sora with a grin. "You guys get to watch."

Meg came back in with a bowl of fruit. "Here, before Hades really does get a hold of your soul. You'll want a bath too, I bet."

"Thank you," said Naminé, taking a bite out of an apple.

"So, who's competing? Anyone we know?" Sora asked.

Donald tapped his foot impatiently. "I doubt it. Auron isn't really into tournaments."

Hercules paused for a moment. "Um... Auron's passed on. He was a spirit that was held to this world. Now that he's finished what he wanted, he went to the afterlife."

"Back to Hades!" Donald shouted.

Selena shook her head. "No, the Underworld is just a haven for spirits with unfinished business."

Meg shook her head. "The bathhouses won't be empty forever you know. Hurry it up."

Naminé nodded. The girls followed. Olette paused and turned around. "No peeping, got it?" She ran to catch up with the others.

"Gross! Like we'd want to!" Sora called after her, sticking out his tongue. He turned to Phil. "Hey, think all my friends could become junior heroes like we were. How about it?"

"I don't know..." Phil said thoughtfully. He pointed at Roxas. "He passed out in the Underworld, that girl with the brown hair seems pretty weak, that girl with the red hair is probably weaker, he's too mouthy"—he pointed at Hayner—"and he's too fat!" He pointed at Pence.

"What about Riku?" Pence asked, not at all bothered by the comment.

"What about him?" snapped Hayner, angered by Phil's statements.

Phil was about to comment, but the glare he received from Riku scared him too much to say a word. He looked away and said, "All right, he seems to be hero material."

Rolling his eyes, Riku said, "I don't really care. Let's just finish what we planned on doing and end it."

"How about we train some?" Hercules suggested, trying to get Phil to stop shaking. "After all, Sora might be rusty from being gone so long."

"Yeah! That'll work!" Phil said. "Come on! I mean, you won't stand a chance against the competitors if you're out of practice!" He grabbed Sora's arm and dragged him through a doorway.

Once all the girls came back, hair shining from being wet and clean, all the guys were forced to wash too. Roxas stayed low in the water, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, come on, dude! We're all guys here!" laughed Hayner.

"Yeah, well..." Roxas muttered, but didn't bother finishing his sentence. Instead, he said, "This place is huge! How long did they spend making this place?"

Riku leaned back against the side of the tub, staring at the mosaic on the ceiling of the different gods and goddesses. "No idea, but they didn't skip any expenses."

He was right too. Not only was the ceiling a mosaic, but the floor was one of different star constellations. Pillars connected the ground to the high ceiling. The walls were covered in large murals of different legends.

Sora stretched his arms. "The tournament!" he shouted, remembering that he'd entered. "What time is it?" he asked Donald.

"Hnn?" He looked at his watch. "Wak! We gotta get going! It's gonna start without us!"

* * *

Everybody minus Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat in the crowded stands, waiting for the matches to start. It was late in the afternoon, about four o'clock. People were cheering for the games to commence, and many went crazy when the huge torches on the side of the stadium burst into flame.

Phil trotted into the center of the ring. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Children of all ages! I give you the competitors!" He pointed to the door he'd walked out of.

Many people and fantasy creatures came out. Wild roars came for a Cyclops and centaur duo. "And our returning champions, now officially heroes: SORA, DONALD, AND GOOFY!" The crowd went bonkers when Sora, Donald, and Goofy came out.

"They won before?" Kairi asked no one in particular.

"Flying colors once they figured out how the competition worked," Selena said, applauding as Sora twirled his Keyblade. "Win it Sora!"

Phil came to the last name on his list. "Finally, we have... Sephiroth!"

The crowd froze as a man with long silver hair and venomous green eyes entered the stadium. He was extremely tall, but carried a sword that was longer than his height. He wore all black, and his costume seemed made mostly of leather and wings. One large black wing was on his back.

"Who's that?" Roxas whispered to Riku and Kairi, both of whom shrugged. Roxas turned back to the ring, where Phil had started speaking again.

"First up is Team Sora against Cenclops!" Phil stared at his paper, and said, "I honestly don't come up with the names, people!" He waddled out of the way as Sora got into fighting stance.

The battle was over in a matter of seconds. Donald used a blizzard spell to blind the Cyclops, who then fell on top of the centaur. That was the end of that.

Sephiroth was up next against a gladiator in black. In one slash, Sephiroth slit the poor man's throat.

Phil ran on with a medic, who used a powerful healing spell to save the man.

"Why didn't they stop him?" Olette cried, covering mouth with her hands to stifle a scream.

Riku crossed his arms. "Anything goes. Only rules are you're not allowed to summon stuff."

There were more battles. Sora and his friends won most of the matches by simple knock out or forcing the opponents out of the ring. Sephiroth, on the other hand, almost killed anyone who came to face him. Even Phil was getting edgy around the swordsman.

"Do you think Sora can win this?" asked Pence.

"Of course he can! He owned Seifer, remember?" Hayner grinned reassuringly.

Olette sighed, "Um, Hayner? Roxas beat Seifer too. I have a feeling that Sephiroth's gonna be one tough cookie."

At last it was the final match between Sephiroth and Sora. Phil dashed out of the way before he said, "Go!"

No body moved. Sephiroth seemed ready to lunge at Sora, while Sora just simply stood like there was no fight going on. Sora smirked and shouted, "FINAL FORM!"

Donald and Goofy vanished in a quick flash. Sora's body started glowing, surprising even Sephiroth. Another Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand—the gold and silver Kingdom Key he'd had before. His costume turned white and black, and his feet floated slightly above the ground, like he was riding an invisible skateboard instead of the misty silver light.

Sephiroth wasn't stunned for long by the transformation. He launched at Sora, but was surprised when Sora easily jumped and glided out of the way. Sephiroth spun around just in time to see Sora slash him with both blades at once. Sephiroth stumbled backward, just barely making it so the strike wasn't lethal. He shot back with a slash of his own, but missed Sora's throat, hitting the Keyblade wielder's cheek instead.

Sora kept on him, moving closer and closer more quickly because his feet never touched the ground. Sephiroth kept blocking the blows, but was starting to become sluggish. Finally, Sora knocked the katana from Sephiroth's hand making Sephiroth lose his balance and pointed the Keyblade down at Sephiroth's throat. "Not much without the Masamune, are you?" said Sora. His body glowed again and he returned to normal. Donald and Goofy were standing next to him again, also pointing their weapons at Sephiroth.

With a groan, Sephiroth's body started to disintegrate, shocking Sora, along with the audience. Black feathers flew through the air and landed lightly on the ground. Where Sephiroth had been laying was now an unconscious Cloud.

Selena leapt from the stands, barely able to avoid stepping on people. She raced toward where Sora and the two humanoids were standing over him. "Cloud!" she cried out, falling to her knees next to him. "Are you all right?"

Cloud twitched, but his only answer was a quiet groan. He balled his hand into a fist, and opened his bright blue eyes. "Wha—? Where am I?" he inquired, barely able to sit up. "I don't remember a thing..."

Phil came out of his adopted hiding spot in the corner of the arena and said, "Team Sora is the winner!" He and the medic came over as quickly as possible.

The medic set to work on healing Cloud as fast as possible, not worrying about the minor injury Sora had sustained from the match. Donald easily cared for that.

Phil handed Sora a huge golden trophy that said 'Zeus Cup' on the black at the base. The trophy itself had a picture of a fluffy cloud with a lightning bolt striking from it. "Congratulations on a great victory."

Once Cloud was able to walk again, the group sat in a backroom reserved for those competing. All of the losers had already left long before the tournament was even decided to watch from the stands.

"What happened anyway?" Sora asked Cloud.

Cloud had his elbows on his knees and supported his head with the back of his hands like he always did. "I don't know. I've been blacking out recently for no apparent reason. Then the next thing I know, I'd be back where I was when I blacked out. Aerith said that I probably just spaced out, but I couldn't remember hours at a time." He glanced up at Selena. "To think I became Sephiroth... Especially after I defeated him!"

Selena closed her eyes, her brow wrinkling as she concentrated on thinking of an answer. "Cloud," she said uncertainly, "did you happen to pick up something strange recently? A crystal possibly?"

He stared at her a moment, and then pulled a yellow shard from his pocket. It sparked uselessly, unable to shock the one holding it. "I found this before the 'incidents'. Is this the cause?"

"Why didn't you throw it out?" snapped Donald.

"I don't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to..." whispered Cloud. "I got a bad feeling whenever I tried to even tell anyone about it."

Selena took the jewel shard from cloud and a larger shape made of a similar material from the bag that hung at her side. She matched the piece to the large crystal. The thing was taking on a heart-shape. A few more pieces and it would be complete.

Quickly pocketing the crystal again, Selena retrieved her compass from her bag. The needle was still spinning. She shook it, but that didn't help.

"Gawrsh, do we have to find that shard too?" Goofy asked, leaning back on the bench. He stretched his arms and knocked the trophy over. "Whoops!"

The cup clattered on the ground, and a small gem shard was thrown from it. This one was crimson with a small flame burning inside. "Axel's," breathed Roxas.

Selena simply placed the shard in her bag. "We'll give it to him next time we see him. Meanwhile," she glanced at the compass needle. It was no longer spinning wildly, but instead was blinking blue. "We're cold. The portal's not in this world."

"Let's head back to Radiant Garden," suggested Olette. "We can give Cloud a ride and see if we can get any leads."

Agreeing with the idea, they left the trophy in Phil's care and left for Radiant Garden.

* * *

**Fact Corner (and credits):**

Elphaba and Fiyero are from the book/musical Wicked.

In ancient Greece/Rome, there were public bathhouses. Their bathhouses were more like Spas, though, and were used for gossip and entertainment just as much as getting all nice and squeaky clean. (Thank you Social Studies class!)

Thanks for reading this chapter! This has to be the longest I've spent on one... Anywho, hope you enjoyed it! Here's a little idea of the time this fanfic takes place in and how long it's been for the actual characters so far:

**Mini fanfic timeline!**

Starts August 19th

6 days in Twilight Town (August 25th)

Night on Gummi (August 26th)

½ day in Disney Castle (August 26th)

1 day in Radiant Garden (August 27th)

1 day in Land of Dragons (August 28th)

Night in Gummi (August 29th)

Day in Coliseum (August 29th)

Night in Gummi (August 30th)

Current adventure length: 11 Days (short adventure so far, no?)

Word Count? 4,527


	11. Cyberspace

**Chapter 11: Cyberspace**

We all know where they're gonna go **_THIS_** chapter. Anywho, I'd like to thank all those who told me to review, even though I was plotting to anyway. Lol.

Also, this fic has more words in 10 chapters than KH Meets House of Mouse, with 24. Shocking, isn't it?

Anywho, since I keep making notes at the bottom of the fic, I've decided to make it easier for you all. I'm now going to put a bold number next to the thing I'm going to comment on and write what it means at the bottom so you know what the heck I'm talking about. You know, like subtitles. :-D

* * *

"We never introduced ourselves!" Olette cried.

Everyone on the ship stared at her for a moment. "We didn't tell Naminé our names!" Pence explained when he'd figured out what she meant.

"That's all right," said Naminé. "I've met Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy before. I know you, Hayner, and Olette. Selena too."

Roxas was confused. "How'd you know Hayner, Pence, and Olette?"

"Er..." Naminé glanced around nervously. "I'll explain later?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"Fair enough," said Selena from the controls. "She'll tell us when we get to our destination."

"That's no fair! You already know what she's talking about!" snapped Hayner.

"What gave you that idea?" Selena turned her head so that one eye was on the group. "We're almost there, so just sit tight."

Cloud was sitting against one of the transparent walls, seemingly asleep. Sora, of course, couldn't help but try to wake him up.

"Cloud! Come on! Time to wake up!" Sora shouted, but had no effect. "Cloud!"

Unfazed, Cloud said, "I heard you the first time, Sora."

"Jeez, you've been sleeping forever!" Donald commented.

With a sigh, Cloud replied, "You try turning into Sephiroth and mutilating a bunch of people."

The walls became opaque once again as the world came into view. Selena hit a few buttons in preparation for the landing.

* * *

"I'll go ahead and tell the others you guys you're here," Cloud said, turning away from them. He started toward the castle, but paused and said, "Varan's living in Merlin's old house. Keeps getting strange visitors.**1**"

"Thank you!" Selena called after him. She turned to the others. "Varan always puts spells on her houses. We'll be safe from eavesdroppers there."

They continued through the crowded streets and stopped at the small house from their last visit, except it was no longer empty. An odd scent wafted from the open door, making Roxas and Naminé dizzy.

"Varan! Turn off the cauldron or whatever you're doing!" Selena cried.

There was a loud clang from a heavy lid being slammed on the cauldron. "Sorry!" came Varan's voice. "Didn't think I'd be getting visitors, least of all those two." Varan was leaning on the side of the doorway within a few seconds. "How may I help you all?"

"Mind cleaning up the stench?" Selena asked. To anyone else, that would have probably sounded rude. "I don't think I could handle it, let alone them." She gestured at Roxas and Naminé.

"Ah, gomen**2**," Varan said with a smile. She waved a hand, and the smell instantly vanished. "Forgot about our revived people and your sensitive nose. Tell me, Princess, if I put a pea under your mattress, would you feel it?"

"Probably," was Selena's reply**3**. "Oh, Here's a present for you." She handed Varan the Karyubinga feather she'd received from Carmen in the Land of Dragons.

Varan laughed and happily pocketed the feather as she motioned for them to follow her inside.

"This place is so different from how I remember it!" Sora said, flopping down onto a cushioned couch. He sank into the pillows covering it a bit. "Man, I wish my mom bought a couch like this!"

Kairi rolled her eyes as she sat down in the spot next to his feet. "Sora, you'd never get off of the thing. We had enough trouble getting you to **_NOT_** sit around and watch TV after the last adventure."

"What was that stuff, anyway?" Roxas inquired, sitting down in an armchair.

"Believe it or not, that was a magic repellant. Any and all magic above a certain amount of power would be deflected." Varan snapped her fingers, and a couple more chairs appeared. "Sora, feet off the couch. Let another person sit down, will you?"

Sora made a face, but moved so Riku could sit on his other side.

"So, why would a magic repellant affect Roxas and Naminé?" Riku asked, leaning back against the plush cushions.

Varan snapped her fingers again, and a china tea set appeared on the table, steaming with tea. "They both have powerful magic flowing through their veins. Remember how Selena said she brought them back using Angel's blood, tears, and feathers?" Everyone nodded. "Well, those are the strongest magic you could probably find. The potion repels powerful magic such as that."

Pence crossed his arms and looked at Naminé. "Weren't you going to explain some stuff to us? Like how you knew our names?"

Naminé nodded. "Well, a while ago something happened... I had to take apart the chains in Sora's heart. To get them back, he and his friends, Donald and Goofy, agreed to go to sleep while I fixed his memories."

"Gawrsh, was that why we were asleep for so long?" Goofy asked.

"I don't remember any of that!" Donald snapped.

Naminé sighed. "You wouldn't, because to get your memories back, you had to forget all of Castle Oblivion, the false memories I was forced to give Sora, and about me."

Sora crossed his arms and thought hard. "This is sounding kinda familiar..." he said at long last. "Yeah, I remember now! That's where we fought a bunch of the Organization!"

With a nod, Naminé continued. "While Sora was asleep, DiZ came and requested my help. He asked me to create false memories for a Nobody they'd captured—Roxas—and help create the illusion of the fake Twilight Town. That's how I knew Hayner, Pence, and Olette."

"Makes just as much sense as anything else around here," commented Hayner.

"I remember! DiZ is Ansem, right?" Olette cried. "The fake Twilight Town was the reason Roxas was so mad at Ansem, I bet!"

Roxas nodded. "Shouldn't we say hi to everyone since we're here?" he said, standing up. He didn't want to remember what Ansem actually did to get him to hate him. He'd rather never remember it.

Naminé caught it. "Mr. Strife**4** has probably already reached the castle."

Everyone nodded. They all said their good-byes to Varan and headed for the castle.

"This place is a lot busier than I remember it," Pence commented. "Everybody's outside today..."

"That's because it's a nice day. Last time it was supposed to rain," said a voice behind them.

They all spun around to see a woman wearing tight, black clothes and black gloves on her fists. She had large brown eyes and long brown hair to match. "Good to see you again, Sora. Missed ya last time."

"Hey, Tifa," said Sora with a grin.

"Cloud mentioned you guys would be here. Come on! Everyone's waiting for you!" Tifa motioned for them to follow her through the bustling crowds where they finally reached the road to the castle, which also had people milling about.

Riku glanced back when they got to the doorway. "All those people here to see Ansem?"

"Yep!" Yuffie jumped down off of a nearby stairway, nearly squashing poor Donald. "Didja miss me?"

"No," grumbled Donald, pushing the ninja off of him. "We didn't miss you at all."

Aerith followed Yuffie down the stairs, but not in the same fashion. "King Ansem would like to see you in his computer room," she said with her usual sweet smile to Selena. "Tron wants to talk to you too, Sora."

"Why does he want me in the computer room? Last time, he said I messed up the system." Selena laughed at the thought of whatever she did last time.

"Whose Tron?" Kairi inquired as they trailed behind Aerith's quick footsteps.

Sora blinked. "Oh yeah! You guys never met him!" He grinned. "He's a computer program on Ansem's computer. We fought this evil computer program called the MCP together! It was so cool! Well, except for the game grid..."

Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. "Gawrsh, the game grid was pretty frightnin'. I never wanna go back there again."

Once again, Roxas felt like Sora and his friends were speaking a foreign language, but at least he wasn't alone on this one. Only Pence seemed to be following what they were saying about the computer.

"A world inside a computer? Neat!" Pence was enjoying every second. "You know, I tried to create something like that once. Failed miserably."

Everyone ignored him. "So, what's this world like, exactly?" Olette inquired, touching all her fingers together.

"It's huge! Everything's all lit up, and your clothes even glow! 'Course, the costumes are pretty creepy there." Then, Sora added, "Some worlds you get a costume change, whether you like it or not. The Space Paranoids is one of those worlds."

Finally they reached Ansem's office. "Hey, the purple scribbles are gone!" Sora commented.

"Yep!" Yuffie gave the thumbs up. "We got the last one off just this morning, if you can believe that!"

Sora led them through what used to be a hidden door—Ansem had an actual door put in again so he could find it without much trouble, or so said Yuffie. As they reached the end of the passage, they heard Ansem laugh, and then another voice talking to him. When Roxas poked his head into the room, no one was there.

Ansem was wearing plain jeans and a T-shirt, making him look even less like a wise ruler. He wasn't wearing his glasses, but it didn't seem like he was reading anything on the screen.**5**

There was the voice again. "Sora annihilated the MCP, so I guess I'm in charge of the system. Next to you, of course," he added quickly.

"My, it seems you've had quite an adventure. I apologize for Xehanort's idiocy." Ansem smiled.

"Hey Tron!" Sora called, running over to the panel. Ansem jumped a few feet, and snatched his glasses from the space next to the keyboard.

"Sora!" said the voice from the panel. "Good to hear from you again."

"We're here too," said Goofy. He ambled over to the computer too. "Didja miss us?"

Sora grinned. "Hang on. We'll be in the Space Paranoids in a second."

There was a slight pause, and a window came up on the screen. "If you could wait a moment..." Tron said.

The screen turned orange and had an 8-Bit chocobo on it, bouncing its head up and down. There was a large text banner on the top that read "Happy Birthday Ansem!" Music started playing and a song started. "Happy, happy birthday! From all of us to you! Happy, happy birthday! May all your dreams come true!" The dancing chocobo then did a cute little bow with a loud squawk and disappeared.

"Um, what was that about?" Hayner asked. "Is it your birthday, Ansem?"

With a laugh, Ansem said, "No, it's not. Selena downloaded that to my computer a couple years ago."

Selena frowned. "Huh? But I know I put a deletion program in there... It should have played once and then sent itself to the Recycle Bin."

"Xehanort went through all the deleted files and must have reinstalled it by accident. We've been trying to delete it all morning, but only succeeded in making it play every ten minutes."

It was Selena's turn to start laughing. "Lemme try." She typed some stuff on the keyboard, making a code appear. She highlighted it all and hit the 'delete' key. "There you go. Gone."

"By the way, Tron? I brought some friends and I was hoping they could come too..." Sora said with a smile.

Tron thought for a moment. "I think the system could support ten users without slowing down. How many are you bringing here?"

Sora quickly counted heads. "We have... eleven..."

"I'll stay behind," offered Selena. "You guys all have fun."

"So, ten? Perfect!" The mouse clicked the button on the screen that said 'scan' and then a timer appeared. "Got twenty seconds to get ready."

With a nod, Sora signaled for everyone going to stand in front of the large red scanner. When the timer ran out, ten beams shot out and hit the group. Their bodies were separated into blocks and quickly the beams hit each block, making them vanish.

There was a huge flash from the computer screen, and then it became static. "Tron!" Ansem shouted, hitting the keys. Nothing happened. He tried again, but still the screen was covered in static lines. "What happened? Tron!"

Tron's broken voice came on. "V-rus... sys-em. Sora... –ends... just fine."

* * *

"Tron!" Sora called into the empty space around them. He was in his glowing blue outfit with the two poll things sticking out of the back of his hat.

"Gawrsh, where could he be?" asked Goofy. He was also in a glowing blue outfit with a helmet not much different then his original hat.

Donald tapped his glowing, booted foot. He also wore a blue outfit with a dorky hat. "Maybe we got beamed to the wrong place."

"WAI!" came Olette's voice. She was wearing a blue outfit too, but this one had a shirt with glowing blue armor like Sora's and pants that when to her ankles. Her shoes were now bulky and glowing blue. Same with the cap on her head, which was similar to Donald's. "Fashion don't!"

Hayner was laughing. His outfit was a sleeveless shirt with glowing blue like camouflage on it. He still wore shorts, but black cloth were underneath, covering his legs. His hat was more of a helmet that you'd see a motorcyclist wearing. He had the tinted black glass that would block bugs from your face up so you could see his eyes. "Poor Olette," he said sarcastically.

Pence was in a glowing armor that covered his entire body. He also had a motorcyclist helmet, but the screen on it couldn't be removed. You could see through the tinted glass when it wasn't reflecting light**6.** It would have looked awesome, except for the fact Pence was short and a little chubby. "Sora did warn you, Olette."

"How come Kairi gets the better outfit! Same with Naminé!" Olette pointed an accusing finger at the two girls.

Naminé's out was simply her original dress with a blue tint and a glowing blue design on it. Dark tights covered her legs and cloth covered her arms and hands.

As for Kairi's... It was probably the only one that looked half-decent. She had a cap similar to Donald's. She was wearing a white jacket with blue armor on it. Over long, blue tinted stalking, she wore a skirt with a bunch of blue, shiny buckles. "I didn't ask for it!" Kairi said, staring at the costume.

Riku was wearing one similar to Tron's, except for the fact it was black. It was enough to make any fangirl go crazy. "One comment on this, and I kill you."

They all laughed nervously, knowing Riku might actually do it too.

"Hey, where's Roxas?" Naminé asked, glancing around at all the faces.

Everyone searched the area for their missing friend, but he remained just that. There wasn't even a trail to go by. A random, digital tumbleweed rolled by.**7**

"WHERE IS HE!" they all shouted in frustration.

* * *

Meanwhile, Roxas was just waking up with a major headache. He glanced around the strange area, and then down at his costume, which was exactly like Sora's. _'Where am I?'_ he thought.

"You all right, Sora?" asked a tall man. He was wearing white spandex with blue lines running up and down it. He wore what looked like a bicycle helmet on his head, and had blue tinted skin.

"Who are you? And my name's not Sora. It's Roxas." Roxas stood up and brushed the digital dirt off his clothes.

"So, you're one of Sora's friends?"

Roxas nodded. "I'm guessing you're Tron?" When he got confirmation, he asked, "Where's Sora and the others?"

Tron shook his head. "I don't know. A virus got activated within the system at the exact moment you all entered. It messed with the landing point, since you all were supposed to reach here. I know they reached the system in one piece, but that's about it."

Troubled, Roxas said, "We have to find them then and beat the virus."

"You're definitely a user. Like Sora, your actions are totally illogical." Tron laughed and gestured for Roxas to follow. "Let's try to find the others."

**_TBC (because I'm evil that way)_**

**1 **When I say strange visitors, think all of the mages, witches, wizards, and other magic users throughout the fictional world. Dumbledore (sp?) from Harry Potter, for example.

**2 **Gomen is Japanese for Sorry. 'Nough said.

**3 **Obvious what I'm referring to, but the "Probably" is a bit of an inside joke among a couple of my friends.

**4 **I've always imagined Naminé as overly polite and calling people Mr. or Miss. Am I the only one who thinks that?

**5 **Remember? Ansem can't see without his tinted glasses. If you think I'm crazy, read chapter 7.

**6 **He looks kinda like he's from Halo. Wasn't planning it, but I explained the costume to someone and they said "He sounds like the Halo guys if they were short and fat." So, he looks like he's from Halo.

**7 **Couldn't help but put the tumbleweed in. XD

Well, that's it for now. I think I'm going overboard on the little subtitle thingies, but who cares. XD

I'm planning on doing a miniature Q and A about this fanfic in chapter 15. If any questions are in your head about ANYTHING, please ask. Also, if you bothered reading this, please type 123 at the end of your review (I wanna see who actually read the notes.) Thanks! Bai Bai!

Word Count? 3144


	12. Mini Worlds

**Chapter 12: Mini Worlds**

We all know what happened last chapter. Here's the next one. Also, thank you to whomever reviewed last chapter and put 123 at the end. :-D I still need questions to answer for the chapter 15 bonus. Stupid questions accepted!

* * *

In Ansem's computer room, Squall, Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie, and Ansem were panicking. The static on the screen had still yet to clear, and Tron had broken off completely. Cid had confirmed that a virus was in the system.

"I'll try working on an anti-virus program, but that's 'bout all I can do," stated Cid glumly.

Selena sat perfectly still in a chair, not even looking at the screen. Her eyes were closed, and the others all assumed she'd fallen asleep. She opened her eyes and asked, "Any word from Tron?"

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" inquired Squall.

Selena pouted. "I wasn't asleep. I was meditating." She shook her head when she saw the screen. "This is wonderful, isn't it?"

"If you're just going to be barbs and sarcasm, go back to meditatin'!" snapped Cid, looking back at the computer screen.

With a sigh, Selena watched the screen as well. "We'll just have to trust them and hope they manage."

Ansem looked up. "I'm guessing that means you can't see through the Keyblades."

Selena shook her head. "Not a thing. Can't tell if that's good or bad."

"No news is good news, am I right?" Yuffie said with a grin, but the attempt at ridding the room of stress failed. "Geez! You could cut the tension in this room with a ninja star!"

Cloud glared at her. "This isn't the time to be joking. Those guys could be dead in there!"

Selena shook her head. "We'll just have to trust them on this one."

* * *

"Guys!" Roxas shouted from the top of a cliff-like block. He was looking down at his friends, who seemed like glowing dolls at that height. There was a ramp with glowing lines at intervals and a huge lit up arch a little ways from them. "You guys okay?"

Kairi had forced the group to stay put, since either Roxas or Tron would find them if they did. Luckily, both had.

Sora waved. "Yeah! We're all right! Just get down here!"

Tron leapt down from the perch as if it were normal. He landed, completely unharmed.

Roxas mimicked him, but didn't have a ten-point landing. He landed just fine, but overbalanced. His knees buckled and he fell. "What happened here?" he asked.

The walls of the area weren't their original neon colors, but instead had huge blotches of red all over.**1 **Number shown underneath, like it was the bare code. Tron gazed worriedly at a few of the glitches. "The virus has been through here..." he whispered. "You must leave! Hurry!"

"How?" Olette growled. She was still in a bad mood about the costume.

"Well, we need to find a terminal thing," said Sora, struggling to remember. "Then we can warp back to the computer room."

"Sounds simple enough," said Riku. "Where's the nearest terminal?"

"The nearest one is an emergency terminal in the Dataspace," said Tron automatically. "I installed one there in case there were any problems and you'd need to log in."

Sora slapped Tron on the back. "All right Tron! Let's get there now!" He pointed at the glowing arch.

Hayner was the first to move. With the single step came a bunch of glowing Heartless. A black Heartless with red lines charged, its wheel rolling at full speed. Sora easily sliced through the Magnum Rider.

Another Heartless—this one with a wide head and glowing yellow hands, feet, and antenna on the head—was circling clockwise a small distance away. It shot lasers at Donald, who easily bounced it back with a reflect spell. The Strafer was destroyed.

A purple, giant, tank-like Heartless appeared. It transformed so that it had four stable feet. A bunch of purple electric spheres launched at the group. Goofy blocked the blows with his shield. Tron threw his Identity Disc**2 **at the Devastator, instantly destroying it.

"That was close!" Kairi sighed with relief. "I thought we were goners!"

Roxas turned and saw something black climbing up Riku's leg. "Riku! Look out!"

Riku had already noticed and was trying to escape the black tentacle wrapping around is foot. It continued, untroubled by Riku putting up a fight. Pence, who was closest, dashed over to try and save their friend, but was knocked back by one of the slimy things.

Still Riku fought, even pulling out his Keyblade and stabbing the center of the thing. Now the appendage was wrapping around his waist. The base of it seemed to be releasing some sort of steam. Whatever the steam touched started turning into a red blotch.

"That must be the virus!" Tron shouted. He threw his weapon at the thing, but the feeble attack was repelled. "What? My anti-virus program isn't working!"

Irritated, Riku stabbed the base of the thing again. The black thing had wrapped itself around his chest now. "Figure something out! I don't feel like being Heartless food!" Again he stabbed it to no effect.

The edges of the black thing shot up and engulfed Riku in a huge egg-shaped barrier. It was impossible to see Riku through the black.

"Riku!" Sora shouted, hitting the thing with his Keyblade. "Riku! Can you hear me?"

The black barrier shattered, revealing an unconscious Riku. He seemed to be in one piece. He glowed green for a moment, and then that faded as well.

"I'm glad he's okay," said Pence, relief in his voice.

Naminé had a confused expression on her face. "Why would the virus attack Riku and then leave him unharmed? It makes no sense."

Roxas had to agree with her. He bent down to get a better look at Riku.

With a groan, Riku sat up. He seemed slightly dazed by the events, but was all around fine. He stood up and brushed himself off.

"You okay?" Kairi asked. "I mean, what was that? Do you know?"

Riku drew his Keyblade and pointed it at Sora. He didn't say a word as pure hate replaced the dazed expression on his face. He charged at his friend.

"What's with you!" Sora shouted, barely able to block the attack. "No, you're not Riku... Who are you?"

A smirk played out across Riku's lips, but still he said nothing. Tron threw his weapon once again at the virus, this time with some success.

The virus made Riku dodge it, but his hand held his arm. The disc had gotten near him. With a quiet glare, he vanished into a dark portal.

"What are we going to do?" cried Olette. "We can't go back without him!"

Tron stared at the dull green and violent red blotches on the floor. "You'll have to. If you connect with Ansem's computer again, I may be able to speak through it again. I can assist in the making of an antiviral program to erase the virus."

"Tron's right! He needs an upgrade to get that thing!" Pence said. He gestured for everyone to get into the Dataspace.

* * *

"What happened in there!" yelled Yuffie, her face inches from Sora's. "We need all the details!"

Sora stared at his feet, unable to speak. Kairi attempted to explain, but her voice came out more of a choked sob if anything. She looked desperately at the others.

Roxas was the one to speak. "There's a virus in the computer, and it..." his voice faded for a moment, "it possessed Riku."

Eyes wide as dinner plates, Selena shook her head slowly in amazement. "That's insane! It's not humanly possible..."

There was a crackling sound from the computer. Tron's voice came on. "They're telling the truth. I found the virus's name, but that's about it for what I know about it." A single word appeared on the screen.

"Ansem," Aerith read. "What kind of person would name a virus that?" She stared at the name for a few more seconds.

"You don't think..." Kairi started.

"Xehanort must have put it there!" Sora concluded. "That's the only possibility!"

Tron interrupted the group's thoughts. "I also found out something else. The virus seems to have a similar program to me."

The real Ansem stared at the screen for a moment. "If Xehanort created an AI program**3 **of himself, then we could be in trouble..."

Cid was sitting at the computer, creating the antiviral software. "Eh? Why's that?"

With a sigh, Ansem sat in one of the chairs he'd dragged in for everyone. "The virus attacked Riku and started controlling him. I can't be positive, but I think I know what it's after." When everyone remained silent, he continued. "My guess is that it's taking over Riku's program, since everything in the Space Paranoids is data. Once it completes its task, it'll log off into our world."

"So we'll get another Xehanort?" Donald said, shocked. "Wak! We can't let that happen!"

"Gawrsh, but uh... what can we do?" Goofy held his chin with one hand and his elbow with the other in his usual thinking pose.

Sora was quiet for a long time before he inquired, "Is there a way to beat the virus?"

Cid hit the enter key. "I just downloaded the anti-virus. It's a lot more powerful than the one we used on the MCP, so be careful." He then told Tron to hurry to the I/O Tower.

"The others should be able to enter straight there. I'm already there." Tron said, his voice sounding slightly satisfied.

Everyone nodded and they were once again beamed into the computer.

* * *

The group reached the place without any problems. The room they'd been warped to was giant, with blue walls and vertical red stripes. In the middle was a raised platform with Tron standing in the light directed at the center.

He turned to greet them. "I've gotten the anti-virus program. We have to actually fight the virus and weaken it for it to work, though."

"That means we have to fight Riku..." Naminé whispered.

Sora closed his eyes and shook his head. "I've done it before, I can do it again," he reminded himself. "So, where is the virus?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"We have to head to the simulation hanger first. We take the Solar Sailor Simulation to the Central Computer Core. He's where the MCP used to be."

Donald crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. "We have to hurry! Who knows what that thing is doing to Riku!"

The group left the room and entered a hallway. There was a path lit up by lights heading in one direction, and then breaking off: one going to the left, the other heading straight. More Heartless appeared. One was red and carrying a giant spell book with a Heartless symbol on the cover. The other looked like a small robot. Roxas took on the Surveillance Robot with Hayner, Pence, and Olette as back up. Sora and Tron handled the spell throwing Bookmaster. With a quick nod, they all continued past a window revealing the simulation hanger and though the red-walled doorway.

Hayner stopped and stared at their ride. "I was expecting something a little... cooler," he said after thoroughly looking it over.

It was a simple, flat platform with what seemed like a motor in the back and yet another computer panel at the head. They all stepped on a glowing square, which teleported them onto their ride.

After a short incident with a bunch of Magnum Riders, Strafers, and Devastators, they reached their destination. The scenery was filled with blocky towers with red sides and blue top. A long, light blue plank connected where they were to the colossal structure before them.

"The Computer Core..." Pence said, awestruck. "This is so cool!"

"Don't forget what we're here for, Pence," Olette reminded him. "We have to fight the virus and get Riku back."

They all nodded and dashed across the bridge. The inside of the building was just as large as the outside suggested. There was a gray path all around a raised space. The walls pulsed with bits of red lights where it wasn't red from the virus. In the center of the room stood 'Riku', but it was near impossible to see him as that anymore.

Riku's hair had gotten shorter and lighter, so it was a snowy white and had bangs that stuck out at odd directions. He was a bit taller than usual. The man turned to face them, revealing that his face still was distinctly Riku's, with ocean blue eyes and skin slightly too pale to be a surfer from an island. "It's about time that you arrived," he said. His voice was still Riku's, but was fading quickly into the dark tone of Xehanort's. It seemed to be half of each.

"Let Riku go!" Sora commanded, drawing his Keyblade. "We beat the Heartless you and the Nobody you! Don't think we'll lose to a digital you!"

Donald pointed his staff at the virus. "Thunder!" he shouted.

The lightning bolt struck, but Xehanort was already out of the way. "Fools. Do you think I'd lose to children like you?"

Tron stepped forward. "What have you to done to the core?" he asked.

Xehanort laughed. "Simple. I made this place a big arena, since I knew you were coming. The core will fry in about ten minutes if it isn't changed, but by then this boy's mind won't exist anymore and I'll be safely out of the system."

"What are you doing to Riku?" Kairi exclaimed.

More laughter. "I'm erasing him entirely. He's already lost himself and everywhere he's been. It'll be fun destroying you from his memories."

Roxas drew his own Keyblades. "We won't let you!" Roxas shouted. He charged at Xehanort and hit him hard with both the Oathkeeper, but Xehanort dodged the Oblivion with a flip over Roxas.

Xehanort landed near Sora and collapsed. He held his stomach where Roxas had hit him. He glanced up piteously with his yellowing eyes. "Sora, help!" he cried out in Riku's voice. He held a hand out for aid in standing. "I managed to force Xehanort down for a few minutes. I'm positive Selena can get rid of him!"

Sora smiled. Though Naminé shouted for him to stop, he helped his mutating friend up. With an evil grin, Xehanort drew the Way to Dawn and hit Sora hard. Sora managed to dodge the worst of the blow, but it still slid easily through his side.

"Curaga!" Donald shouted, healing his friend. All the same, Sora was unconscious.

Kairi summoned her own Keyblade. "Gullwings!" she called.

A bright light shown and the Gullwings were in their little pose again. "Y.R.P. in position!" they shouted. All of them looked around confused. "Uh, where's the enemy?" Rikku asked, confused.

Paine rolled her eyes and grabbed Rikku's and Yuna's shoulders, turning them to see Xehanort. "Let's go, girls!" Yuna shouted, starting to fire.

Xehanort was temporarily stunned by the constant barrage of bullets from Yuna, sword attacks from Paine, and Rikku's little pounding, since there wasn't anything to steal from the guy. As the girls distracted him, Hayner, Pence, Goofy, and Roxas pounded him with their weapons as Olette and Donald cast spells. Kairi finally dropped to her knees, unable to keep the Gullwings there.

Xehanort got his second wind and jumped out of the line of fire. He alighted back in the center of the room. Right where Tron was aiming at.

The Identity Disc soared through the air and hit Xehanort hard in the back. The disc lit up, and the glow spread to Xehanort. Crying out in surprised, Xehanort was knocked forward. His image distorted as he fell to the ground, shattering before he landed on all fours as Riku.

Riku's arms gave way, and he was face first in the ground. Lifting his head slightly, he said, "What happened? Why am I here, and where is here exactly?"

There was a violent rumbling as the ground in the center cracked. Light blasted through the holes as the platform started falling away. Unable to move, Riku's limp form fell into the white abyss below.

Sora awoke just in time to see Riku fall. Horrified, he ran to the edge and barely saw his friend fading away in the light. "RIKU!" he shouted.

A dark portal appeared above the group, and Riku landed with a dull thud on top of Sora. "Hail to the powers of darkness," Riku said sarcastically as he pushed himself up and off of his friend.

"Don't scare us like that!" Sora snapped, bopping his friend on the head. "We thought you were gonna die!"

Kairi was laughing through the tears that spilled from her eyes. Olette helped her up from where she was sitting.

Roxas smiled. "Tron, is the virus gone?"

Tron held up one finger, signaling for them to wait. Though it became apparent the virus was gone from the damage being reversed, they wanted confirmation. "It's gone. Not a trace."

Hugs and high fives went around the group. Tron signaled for everyone to follow him to the nearby terminal just outside of the area. They all warped out into the computer.

* * *

Riku sat down weakly into the computer chair Ansem offered him. "Why is it that Xehanort wants to control me and not anybody else?" he asked.

Selena thought for a moment. "Your dark power is very potent, Riku... The darkness in your heart is stronger than the light, even though there's an equal amount of it. Xehanort knows this, and will use it however he wishes," she said at last. "You—"

A dark portal appeared and a hooded figure stepped out. His face was pointed directly at Riku, although it was impossible to see his expression. "So, we finally meet, Riku," he said in a cold voice.

Riku jumped up, drawing his Keyblade. He wobbled unsteadily and collapsed to his knees. "What do you want, Nobody?" he snapped.

"Now that's rude." He acted like what Riku had said had hurt him. "Treating a guest like that!"

Ansem glared daggers at the intruder. "Leave!"

The man cackled and lowered his hood with one swipe of a hand. Dark locks framed a pale face. "Would you really throw me out?" he inquired. The man's scowling face matched Riku's. If it weren't for the hair, they could have been twins.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, hardly able to keep his voice from shaking. "Why are you here?"

The Nobody laughed. "Name's Xiruk. As for why I'm here, I have my reasons."

Roxas blinked, confused. Hayner leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Who is this kook?"

Roxas couldn't answer. He'd never met him before. His only response was a shake of his head.

Xiruk chuckled to himself again as everyone pointed weapons at him. "Now I won't tell you the great secret I know," he said with a shrug. "Goodbye, traitor," he said to Roxas. "Later, Old Man," he said rudely to Riku. "Good thing I dyed my hair so it wouldn't look like yours!" He stepped backward into his dark portal, which vanished after him.

"What was that about?" Sora crossed his arms.

Aerith put a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "Don't worry about what he said," she said calmly. Her comfort was wasted on Roxas, and should have been for Riku.

"That freak!" Riku growled, forcing himself to stand. "If it weren't for Xehanort's stupid virus, I would've taken him down!"**4**

Kairi was giggling. "It was only a hair comment. It's not the end of the world!"

There was another black portal, but this time our favorite redheaded Nobody stepped through. His greeting wasn't a warm one, since Cloud, Squall, and Yuffie all directed their weapons at him.

"Jeez, what a nice welcome," he said in his usual sarcasm, brushing his bangs back. He took a step back, but his portal disappeared, proving he wasn't retreating.

Panicked, Roxas shouted, "Wait! He's on our—" but Axel threw his weapon to silence him.

"Shh! I'm supposed to be somewhere else right now!" Axel glanced around as if he half-expected a ghost to appear. "Look, I can't stay long, or one of the Organization'll notice I'm missing." He calmed his nerves with a deep breath. Then, he continued with his cocky attitude. "All right. So, Vexen just dragged Demyx to a Galaxy World called 'Aloha'. Got it memorized?" When everyone nodded, he said, "I'm not sure what Vexen's planning on doing there, so I'd hurry to the place."

Tifa seemed ready to punch his lights out. "Why should we trust you?"

Before Axel could exchange a smart alecky comment with Tifa, Selena held out the piece of his heart they'd found. He gazed at it uncertainly, as if he was trying to figure out what it was again. Once the surprise dwindled from his face, though, he snatched it from her hand. "Thanks, but I have to head back." He turned and a portal opened before him.

Ansem was the one to stop him. "What are you doing, giving us your plans?"

With a smile, Axel said, "Ask Roxas when I leave." And with that simple answer, Axel vanished.

All of the people who called Radiant Garden home turned angrily on Roxas, making Roxas feel slightly claustrophobic.

"I'll explain it!" Selena cried out, waving her arms for the group's attention. "Sora, take the others to the library. You'll find a little something on the table for you."

Sora thought for a moment on what could possibly interest him in a library, shrugged, and gestured for the others to follow him. The group closed the door on a heated debate. As they walked, Olette seemed to become more and more worried.

"Think she can handle them?" she asked.

Naminé shrugged. "Probably. She's been friends with DiZ—King Ansem, sorry—for years. She'll be fine."

The group reached a small hallway that circled a grand room with a fountain. Sora directed them to a large, oak door that opened to a giant green room. Every wall was lined with bookshelves in a haphazard sort of way. There was twisted path to a bunch of tables, though. As they walked, a book caught Sora's eye. He ran faster to the table and picked up the old-fashioned hardcover.

"Pooh's Storybook!" he exclaimed. The cover of the book he held had a picture of two characters sitting under a starry sky. One was a yellow teddy bear with a red shirt, while the other...

"That's you!" Pence said, glancing from artwork to Sora and back multiple times. "How'd that happen?"

Goofy took his turn in explanation. "Well, you see, there's another world in the book, ahyuk. Sora always went there to hang around Winnie the Pooh and a bunch of other friends."

"And he never took us along!" grumbled Donald.

Sora gave them both a hug. "Aw, come on! If you'd told me you wanted to come, I woulda brought ya."

Olette unlatched the leather that held it closed. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

There was a bright flash, and the only ones left in the room were Riku, Donald, and Goofy.

"EVERY TIME!" Donald complained, stomping his feet quite a bit in frustration. "Just once I'd like to know what he does in that thing!"

Riku took the chance to sit down. "It's just a kid's storybook. Don't get so upset."

* * *

Everyone but Sora stared around the place, perplexed. They'd been whisked from Radiant Garden's library into a wood with a cottage made in a tree. A fire was lit in front of a log, where a bear with black eyes and yellow fur was sitting. He had a pot that he stuck his hand in to retrieve vast amounts of honey. He lifted the jar up and stuck his nose into it, where he got stuck.

Sora laughed and helped the bear get the honey pot off his face. "How ya been, Pooh?"

"Sora, it's been a while," said Pooh with a smile. He had a honey ring around his mouth. His beetle black eyes fell upon Roxas and the others. "Friends of yours?"

They all introduced themselves, realizing that Riku, Donald, and Goofy hadn't made it to the place known as The Hundred-Acre Wood.

"Hi!" called out a tiny voice. A small kangaroo with a blue shirt was hopping up and down. "Nice to meet'cha! I'm Roo!"

"And I'm Kanga. It's a pleasure," said his mother. "Pooh, you didn't go and forget what we were doing today, did you?"

Pooh smiled. "I don't think I did... Were we going to make Eeyore's present?"

The group was taken to a huge meadow with a log sitting in the middle. Sora sat down on it, as if it were a bench. The others did the same.

"This is Eeyore's present! Tada!" Tigger jubilantly pulled a cloth off of a poorly made house of sticks, which collapsed. "Whoops..."

"Oh d-d-d-dear! What are we gonna do?" Piglet stuttered, staring around wide-eyed. "He'll b-be here any minute!"

Pence cracked his knuckles. "This'll be a piece of cake!" he said, picking up the twigs. "Anyone have string?"

Kairi dug in her pockets and retrieved a piece of twine.**5** They all looked at her, confused. She handed it to Pence. "Before **_ANY_** of you ask, I found it while we were walking."

Using the thread to tie the twigs together, Pence managed to create a wall. Gopher happened to have more than enough string to create two more walls. Owl flew down with some giant leaves for the roof. Pence admired his finished handiwork.

The hut was large enough for Pooh, Owl, and Tigger to fit inside comfortably, and best of all: it didn't fall down when Tigger and Roo jumped right outside. There was a pole in the center that the leaves were tied to for the roof, giving it a pyramid top.

"Great job! Eeyore will love this," Rabbit said.

A blue donkey with a felt tail nailed on loped over to them. His tail swished every time he moved, revealing a pink bow tied to the end. "Hello," he said, a depressed tone to his voice.

"What's wrong with you?" Hayner asked, crossing his arms.

Sora whispered quickly to the group, "He's always like that. Don't worry about it."

"Sora and his friends help make you a house for your birthday!" explained Pooh with his usual happiness shining through.

"Happy Birthday Eeyore!" everyone shouted in unison.

Eeyore looked from one cheerful face to another. "Thanks for rememberin'." He said at last.

Kanga, who'd disappeared while the house was being built, hopped back with a giant cake. "Let's all celebrate," she said, cutting the cake into equal sized pieces. Three were left over.

Roxas asked if he could take the last three pieces for friends, which Kanga kindly agreed to. She put them on three separate plates and handed two to Roxas and one to Naminé.

"We have to be going now," said Sora sadly. "Happy birthday again, Eeyore." He turned and faded. Kairi ran to the spot he was and stared around for him. Then she figured it out and vanished too.

Roxas blinked. "How do we get out of here?"

Olette waved goodbye to Pooh and the others. "I think we have to concentrate on leaving, and we leave," she said. She smiled and disappeared just like Sora had. Hayner and Pence followed her out of the book. Naminé nodded to Roxas and faded away. Roxas looked back at the storybook gang. "We'll be seeing you."

Pooh nodded. Tigger bounced up and down as he said, "Our buddy Sora came back, so you will too."

"Bounce with us next time, k?" Roo said, hopping up and down on his tail. "We'll play a bunch of games, then!"

"Yeah, of course!" Roxas said with a grin. He vanished from the pages of the book as well.

* * *

Riku was munching on his piece of cake when Roxas arrived. Donald greedily took his cake, while Goofy gratefully accepted his. As the three ate, Roxas asked, "How come they couldn't get in?"

The door creaked open and Selena appeared. "Those who are too 'grown up' can't enter that Miniature World. Riku acts too old for the book, therefore he can't enter."

"What's a 'Miniature World'?" Donald asked between mouthfuls of cake.

Sora stared at him, shocked. "You don't know something? Not possible!" he asked, stunned. Naminé giggled understandingly.

Selena answered the question. "It's a separate world that's part of another, like Pooh's Storybook and the Space Paranoids. The inhabitants of those worlds often don't know that they're part of another world, and they're entirely different from the world their part of."

"We leaving for Aloha today?" Olette half sobbed it. She apparently didn't want to go anywhere.

With a laugh, Selena shook her head. "We're staying here for tonight and leaving in the morning. It would be past midnight if we went now."

Goofy thought for a moment. "Axel called it a 'Galaxy World'. What're they?"

"A Galaxy World is a world that has multiple 'planets' inside it that are connected. You don't need a Gummi Ship to travel between them; a regular spaceship would suffice," she explained quickly. "Anyway, it's getting late." She pointed to a clock on the wall. It read 10:30. "You'll all have to get up, all right?"

Everyone nodded and went to the rooms they'd been in before, since many of the bedrooms were still piled high because of storage space.

* * *

**1** If you've ever played the .hack games, think infected area.

**2** That's what Tron's disc thing's called. Don't believe me? Look it up in the game if you don't believe me!

**3** AI is short for Artificial Intelligence, a computer program that thinks and acts for itself.

**4** For those of you who are confused, Riku wouldn't normally be getting bent out of shape over some stupid Nobody. It's kinda one of those breaking point things. He's had a tough day.

**5 **Minor reference to Haphazardous Inspiration's fanfiction, Corollary of the Unexpected. If you read it, you'll figure out where I got the twine from. XD

Hope you enjoyed the update. Like I said before, I need questions on anything for the thing. Later Gators!

Word Counts? 5,178


	13. Islands of Aloha

**Chapter 13: Islands of Aloha**

Hello again! Yet another update. Just a warning, though. School just started for me, and I won't be able to update as much as I have been. Fear not, because I will remember what I'm planning for this fic. I have the outline written down this time and everything.

Also, since we all know the world's going to be Lilo and Stitch, the world's going to be based off of the TV series as well as the movies. Sorry, but for my idea to work, I have to use those. I apologize if you've never seen it. Gomen!

Anywho, I still need those questions for the fic. Currently, I have a total of... three... And once again, the line tool is out of service... XP Well, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

"Dude! Wake up!" shouted Hayner.

Roxas opened his eyes slowly, barely able to force himself from his dreams. He blinked a few times, for bright sunlight filtered through the windows onto his face. Stretching, he sat up. "Did I miss something?" he asked shakily.

"You were having a nightmare all night. You even woke up Pence with all that moaning." Hayner sat down on his bed. "You all right now?"

With a nod, Roxas said, "Sorry about that. It's just... I think I remembered something."

"What about?" Pence asked. He was rolling up his sleeping bag.

Roxas wondered where to begin. "Well... I was in a fake Twilight Town..." he started, but stopped. He tried again. "You guys and Olette were there, along with everyone else in the real Twilight Town..."

There was a knock at the door and Olette came in. "Good, you guys are all up." She smiled. She noticed Roxas had his arms around his knees in his usual confused pose. "What's up? You okay, Roxas?"

He looked up, not even realizing he was sitting strangely. Hayner answered Olette for him. "He remembered something."

Olette sat at the table. "Well? Am I going to hear it?"

Roxas nodded. He gave a shortened version of what he remembered: from the strange incidents from the false Twilight Town to rediscovering that he was a Nobody thanks to Naminé. He hesitated before adding, "and they both said I wasn't meant to exist..."

All three of Roxas's friends were slightly stunned by the story. Hayner was the first to speak. "I am **_SO_** not that stupid! Ansem got me all wrong with that!"

Pence rolled his eyes. "They were computer copies of us, Hayner. That means he could change their memories to fit whatever he wanted."

"Speaking of Twilight Town... Doesn't school start for us tomorrow?" Olette asked.

Hayner grinned. "Hey! You're right! We get to miss school! Neat!"

"Not neat! It's horrible!"

Pence laughed. "Olette, you could have skipped a grade. You just decided to stay behind with us non-geniuses."

Olette giggled, but was still serious about cutting school. All the same, Hayner walked out of the room mid-sentence. She glowered at Hayner, following him. "I hope you realize that you'll have to repeat a grade, and I'm not staying behind. I'm taking up the offer to go ahead of you and not having to go to summer school. And may I remind you that you guys'll have to take summer school?"

"Blah, blah, blah. Like it matters. We have more important things to worry about." Hayner waved off the lecture simply.

"Like?"

Hayner glanced around for some form of distraction. He settled for the Gullwings huddled together in the middle of the hall. "What're you guys looking at?" he asked.

A black cloth was sprawled out onto the floor. Yuna glanced up for a moment, but went back to concentrating on the object. "What could it be?" she asked no one in particular.

"A cape. What else?" replied Paine sarcastically.

"It looks familiar..." said Rikku, leaning her head from one shoulder to the other.

There was the clopping of shoes against the stone tile floor. Kairi was talking animatedly to Sora and Riku as they walked down the hallway. Kairi was the first to notice the group.

"I'm still mad at you three!" Kairi scolded. "You shouldn't have kissed Sora like that!"

"We're sorry!" Rikku cried out, ducking to avoid Kairi's fist. "We were trying to get back at Sora for lying to us about the treasure!" Once again she ducked.

Sora and Riku, meanwhile, were inspecting the cape. Riku realized what it was first and quickly turned away.

As Riku did so, Sora glanced at his friend. "What's up?"

"Say the name, and I murder you, got it?" he hissed to Sora.

"You mean Malefi—" but Riku quickly clapped a hand over Sora's mouth.

Riku let out a sigh of relief. "Saying her name is the same as calling her back from the abyss."

Sora nodded, but Kairi didn't hear his words. "Hey, isn't that—"

"Don't say Maleficent!" both Sora and Riku cried out. The two then donned the 'Deer in the Headlights' looks as the cape came to life.

Slowly, it rose. The battered cape started taking form and getting larger. When the transformation was complete, a tall woman with pale green skin stood where the cloth once was. She was wearing all black, and had large horns attached to her hat. In her hand was a long staff with a green crystal sphere in the top.

The woman eyed everyone calmly, as if unaware of Sora and Riku drawing their Keyblades. Her eyes lingered on Roxas, but quickly shifted to the two Keyblade wielders. "It's good to see you again, Riku. You as well, Sora."

"Yeah, well, you won't be seeing us again if I can help it!" Sora and Riku shouted in unison.

Maleficent rolled her eyes and turned to Kairi. "Since they're being idiots, here." She handed Kairi a green gem cut in the shape of flames. As the light caught it, the jewel seemed to burst into life. She started off down the hall toward the castle's exit.

Sora cocked his head to the side. "Okay...? What was that about?"

Selena came running out of the side corridors, slamming into Maleficent on accident. "Oh! Ginger! Through being evil yet?"

Maleficent shook her head, her cheeks turning a slightly darker shade of green in a blush. "Don't call me that!" she hissed. "Yes, I'm done with being 'evil'. First a foolish moron stomps on me after that boy beat me," she gestured at Sora, "and then a bunch of husks showed tried to tear me to shreds. I'd rather stay in one piece and not seal myself away so as not to be killed. Good day." And with that, emerald flames engulfed her.

"Make sure to visit Varan, kay?" She called before Maleficent and her flames vanished. "Boy, I hope she heard me..." Selena finally noticed the stunned looks on everyone's faces. "What?"

"That's the evilest witch I've ever seen, and you know her?" Riku asked.

Laughing slightly at the looks she was receiving, Selena said, "Few witches are ever evil. Just about everyone who uses magic goes through some form of 'evil' phase. Varan wanted to turn someone into a frog once, and she did. It was hilarious for everyone but Frog Man."**1**

Everyone blinked. At this point, they'd pretty much given up on understanding half of what Selena said.

"Who was that, anyway?" Olette asked, nodding to where Maleficent had just stood.

Kairi was the one to explain. "That was Maleficent. She controlled the Heartless for a long time."

"And you just let her escape!" Hayner cried out, shocked. "Why didn't you kill her or something?"

Selena turned and signaled for the group to follow. "If you don't hurry, breakfast'll get cold."

Pence noticed something "If her name's Maleficent, why'd you call her Ginger?"

"Because that's her name?" said Selena with a raised eyebrow. "Ginger Maleficent."

Everyone who actually knew who Maleficent was, meaning Sora, Riku, and Kairi, were doubled over in fits of laughter. "GINGER!" Sora cried. "THAT SOUNDS LIKE A DOG'S NAME!"

Rikku was rolling around in the air to show her enjoyment of the inside joke. "We worked for a witch named Ginger? HAHAHHAHAHAHA!"

Even Paine found it funny. Chuckling, she said, "Maleficent was a better name."

Selena, still determined to get her friends to breakfast, went behind Sora and Riku and pushed them forward. "Come on! I'd like to eat this morning, and I know they won't serve just one person!"

At the Great Hall, everyone ate to their hearts content. By the end, Pence and Sora could barely move. Roxas sighed quietly, looking back on what he'd remembered.

"You okay?" Naminé inquired, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Roxas glanced up at her. "Yeah..."

Hayner remembered the events of earlier, and said, "Hey, Sora, what do you're parents do?" in an attempt to get Roxas's mind off of the incident.

"Huh?" Sora looked up from his plate for the first time. "Erm... My dad hand carves those expensive model trains you can buy, and my mom works at a bakery. I get all kinds of cakes and stuff for free! Too bad my mom runs cash register... She can't cook to save her life!"

Kairi said, "I live with my grandma, so I have a part-time job at the local amusement park. I wear one of the Moogle suits..."**2**

Riku shrugged. "My mom died when I was little... I'm fine with it though, so no pity parties, got it? My dad runs a ferry between the islands and the mainland."

"What about your parents, Selena?" Olette asked.

"Um..." Selena swallowed, though nothing was in her mouth. "I... uh... never knew my parents. The ones who raised Varan and I told me that my dad died before I was born, and my mom just after... I'm not sure about Varan."

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." Roxas started to say, but bit his lip. She probably wouldn't want pity.

"Aw, phooey! What does it matter?" Donald snapped.

Goofy snickered. "Donald's just grumpy without his coffee."

"So, if everyone's finished, let's get going." Selena said with a grin. "I wanna get to Aloha before noon. That way, we can look around before dark."

"Where in Aloha are we going?" Olette inquired.

Selena's smile widened. "To the islands where the galaxy's name originated! Hawaii!"

* * *

After a long and uneventful Gummi ride, a large group of planets came out of the distance. All were strange colors, except one. The one the Gummi Ship was heading for was a huge water-covered planet with large continents.

As they got closer, the Gummi gave a huge lurch. Selena was thrown against the control panel, and the others against various walls and the floor. "Get ready for a rough landing, guys!" Selena shouted. "The engine's been hit!"

* * *

"Ouch..." Roxas muttered. He was lying in a small pool of fresh water. The others weren't far from him. The only ones conscious were Sora, Riku, and Selena. The only one doing anything about the damaged ship was obviously Selena, for she was holding a wrench and was brushing was looked like soot from a bedraggled apron.

"This stinks! An enemy ship blasted the engines! I'll need some real help to get this thing working again." She paused for a moment. "If we could find a local mad scientist, we'd be fine."

Olette stood up and squeezed the water from her hair. "Is there a town nearby?"

Everyone was up and complaining about the minor bumps and bruises. As soon as walking wasn't a chore, they headed off.

In town, they bought swimwear and went to the huge beach surrounding the tropical paradise. Riku was showing off his surfer skills to the local ladies, who all applauded exuberantly. Kairi and Olette both agreed from their beach blanket that he just wanted to get girls to swoon over him like usual.

Sora had on a snorkel and swam under the waves, looking at all the wildlife along with Naminé. Every few minutes, though, Naminé would run over to her sketchbook and draw the colorful fish she'd just seen.

Hayner and Pence, according to their 'Beach Tradition', were pigging out on pretzels and then splashed about in the shallows.

Roxas, on the other hand, was attempting to sit as far from the water as possible without leaving the beach. It was pretty ironic that he used to be an islander's nobody, yet still unable to swim. Embarrassed, Roxas accepted a snow cone from Selena.

"You could attempt skim boarding," Selena suggested, pointing at the waxed board next to her. "It's like skateboarding, but on water. You don't go too deep with it. Ask Sora to show you. I don't know much about that."

Roxas nervously threw the board the way Sora had shown him. He ran after and jumped on. He did pretty decent for a first try, but still fell on his back. Now determined, Roxas kept trying, attracting the Hawaiian girls' attention in the process.

He started walking back up the beach, proud of his accomplishment, when a little girl in a striped swimsuit ran up to him. Now, he probably wouldn't have cared about it, but a strange blue creature was following her. "Smile!" she called out as the blue creature snapped a picture.

The blue creature started sniffing Roxas like a dog, making him assume that was what the thing was. It had long ears with small nicks in them. It's blue nose sat just above a mouth with what seemed like fangs. He stood on his back legs and had small claws on his paws. "Sora?" he inquired in a strange voice.

"Did that thing talk...?" Roxas asked.

"Um... no?" the girl replied. She had black hair and dark tan skin, making it apparent that she was from the islands herself. She couldn't have been more than six or seven.

Sora was walking up with his snorkel still masking his face. "Finished already, Roxas?" he asked, but then saw the alien creature. "Stitch!" he pulled off the goggles. "This is your home?"

The blue monster jumped onto Sora, knocking him over. "SORA!" Stitch shouted, slurping his face with green slimy. "Hi!" he stressed the vowel like he had a bit of trouble saying it.

Sora waved over his friends and quickly introduced Stitch and his owner Lilo. Olette and Kairi hugged Stitch, saying he was the cutest thing they'd ever seen. Stitch was enjoying the attention, but Hayner was rolling his eyes.

"Look, we have something to do, kid," said Hayner rather rudely. "If you haven't seen any men in black, then we have to go."

Lilo thought for a moment. "I saw some weirdoes earlier. They were wearing these black coats. The one was eyeing Stitch."

"Well, Stitch's an alien," Pence said. "Maybe he thought it was a weird kind of dog."

Riku thought for a minute. "Vexen might be after Stitch... It would make sense. Besides, coats on an island?"

"Has to be the Organization. Who else would wear black coats in Hawaii?" said Kairi with a laugh.

Stitch's ears swiveled and he spun around. "Cousin!" At Lilo's surprised look, he added, "Lax! He's in trouble!"

"We gotta go! See ya!" And with that, Lilo and Stitch ran off.

Goofy blinked, and watched them. "Gawrsh, shouldn't we head after 'em? They'll lead us right to Demyx and... the other guy."

"Vexen," Donald reminded him. "We have to get them!"

Roxas nodded in agreement, and they chased after them.

The reached a hotel, where they beheld a strange sight. Demyx was lying on in one of those beach chairs, drinking lemonade. Unlike the man with long blonde hair yelling at him, Demyx wasn't wearing the Organization coat. He yawned and said, "Dude, it's a hot, sunny island. I wanna vacation."

The blonde man, Vexen, stomped his foot angrily and stormed off, not even bothering to reply to his now very lazy partner.

Once Vexen had disappeared from view, Roxas ran over to Demyx. "What are you guys doing here?"

Demyx pulled a pair of sunglasses from his shorts' pocket. "He wants to hunt down some alien genetic experiments or something like that. He's caught 15 of them now...?" He shrugged and put the glasses on. "No idea how to stop him." He yawned loudly and started snoring.

"That was useful..." Pence said sarcastically.

"He was zapped by Lax, one of Stitch's cousin. Anybody zapped by his laser becomes lazy and wants a vacation," Lilo explained.

"Cousins in trouble!" Stitch reminded them.

Naminé thought for a minute, and then said, "Is there a way to tell all of Stitch's cousins all at once?"

Both Lilo and Stitch thought for a few minutes. "Yaarp!" the shouted in unison, pointing to each other in an 'Aha' moment.

"Follow me!" Lilo called as she dashed out of the building.

The entire group stared as Lilo led them through the streets. They reached a large building with a even bigger man sweeping off the porch in front. "Why Lilo, what are you doing here today?"

"We need to use the Alien Emergency button!" Lilo said, breathing heavily from the mad dash. "We have a major problem!"

Before the man could ask what she was talking about, Lilo was inside and repeatedly pushing a red button. Nothing happened at all.

"What was supposed to happen?" Sora asked, staring around.

"Oh no..." Lilo rushed up a small flight of stairs in the corner. The room beyond was covered in ice that wasn't even starting to melt. "What happened here!"

Roxas took a few tentative steps back. "Vexen was here. He controls ice."

"Who **_IS_** Vexen, anyway?" Sora asked. "The name sounds familiar."

Riku rolled his eyes. "A mad scientist. You really don't remember Castle Oblivion, do you..."

"Uh... I remember Axel and a bunch of other hooded creeps. Does that count?" Sora smiled his trademarked grin.

Lilo glanced at Riku. "A mad scientist? Hey! We know one! Let's ask Jumba what to do!" Once again, she ran off, and the others had to follow her.

This time, they were led to a huge house with a red roof. It seemed big enough to house half the Destiny Islanders. Lilo ran up to the door. "Jumba! We have a problem!"

A huge alien with four eyes stepped out from behind the house. "Little girl, I can hear you just fine. What can I do for you?"

"A mad scientist is kidnapping Stitch's Ohana!" Lilo shouted. "What do we do?"

"Mad scientist, you say? Doubt he's a better scientist than me." Jumba scratched his head.

Roxas got a look from Olette that said, _What do you think?_ "He's a really—"

"This is Weirdlo's house," came a young voice. A girl with red hair and glasses about Lilo's age turned the bend in the road. Following her was none other than Vexen and Demyx! "Her rabid dog's scary, so be careful."

"Thank you," Vexen said darkly. He shoved the girl toward the others while Demyx grabbed his Suitar. "Now!"

"Dance, water, dance!" Demyx shouted, strumming a few cords. Large amounts of water wrapped around everyone, holding them as if ropes tied them up. Vexen snapped his fingers, and the liquid instantly froze.

"Let me go!" the girl shouted.

"Myrtle! Why'd you lead them here? They're the bad guys!" Lilo shouted.

A tall woman ran out of the building. "What's going on out here?" she yelled. A short yellow alien in a dress came after her, his one eye on the scene before them.

Demyx strummed his Suitar again, and Vexen froze the water binding them as well. Smirking, Vexen walked up to Roxas. "Amazing. We caught you as well, Number Thirteen. I didn't think a traitor would be so easy to capture."

Roxas attempted pulling his arms from the ice, but it was futile. "How can I be a traitor," he asked, his voice steadily rising, "if I was never on your side to begin with!"**3**

"I beg to differ." Vexen reached out a hand and rolled up Roxas's sleeve. Then, he touched his arm gently with his blue shield.**4**

Roxas closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, even though there was no pain. Then, a burning sensation went through his arm, and a small tattoo appeared on his arm just below the shoulder, _XIII_.**5**

"That brand is only on members of the Organization," Vexen stated flatly.

There was a shattering noise, and Stitch launched himself at Vexen. Without so much as flinching, he opened a black portal. Stitch fell through and was easily captured. Vexen then turned on the white dog that had been following Myrtle. He picked it up by the scruff of the neck and tossed it through a different portal.

"Leave my experiments alone!" Jumba shouted angrily.

Vexen raised an eyebrow, but didn't say a word as he grabbed Jumba and easily threw him into the same portal as the small dog. He rounded on Roxas and pulled him out of the ice, and as if it weren't obvious what happened, shoved him into the portal as well.

"Keep an eye on them," Vexen commanded as he left.

As soon as Vexen was out of earshot, Sora yelled, "Traitor! I hope you get eaten by sharks!" at Demyx.

Selena rolled her eyes at Sora's insult. "Demyx, please. Ice is frozen water, right?"

"That's true, but I still can't control it," he sighed. "All I can do is... hey!" he strummed his guitar and streams of water in the shape of snakes appeared. The snakes were steaming. "Water! Melt the ice and become stronger!" he commanded, strumming his Suitar again.

The water snakes rushed at the frozen group, wrapping around the ice. As the ice melted, the snakes grew to the size of dragons. Once the ice was gone, the dragons fell apart and were soaked up by the earth.

"So what do we about do about Jumba?" asked the one-eyed alien in an annoying, high pitched voice.

"Pleakly**6**, please," grumbled the girl who was probably Lilo's older sister.

"Myrtle, why'd you lead them here!" Lilo shouted, tackling the girl. It was pretty much a one-sided fight, until Riku pulled them apart. "Nani! Help!"

Rolling his eyes, he said, "They're tricky."

"But that kid with the spiky hair is on their side! We were bamboozled!" Pleakly said, much too loudly.

Hayner bopped the alien on the head. "Roxas isn't on their side!"

"He's right," Demyx agreed. "Who knows what Vex'll do to the poor kid if we don't spring 'im." He smirked. "Here's the plan..."

* * *

Roxas shivered as he looked at the ice chips on the floor. For a half an hour, he'd been pounding the bars with all his might, desperately trying to destroy the icicles they were made of. He'd hardly made a dent, even with both Keyblades.

"Give it up," sighed Jumba. "There's no way we'll escape. We just have to wait for Little Girl to come up with plan."

The cage they were trapped in was pretty wide, large enough for he, Jumba, and Gigi—the girl he assumed to be Myrtle's pet dog/experiment—to sit comfortably in. As for height... Roxas's hair brushed the top while seated.

Blowing on his hands to keep warm, Roxas said, "I'm not giving up yet. There's gotta be someone near by who will help us." With a grin, he signaled at the door sliding open of its own accord.

Axel stepped in, holding trays of steaming food. His surprise at Roxas being in a cage quickly vanished as a feminine man with shoulder-length brown hair entered. Sighing, Axel started placing the hot food down in the different cages filled with many of Stitch's cousins as the man behind him complained about everything, from the shampoo he used to the missions he was given from the Organization.

"If you don't like it, Marluxia, then quit," Axel replied simply when he'd finally gotten sick of hearing his companion. "I'm sure you could get a decent job as a barmaid."

"Very funny, Axel," Marluxia snapped back. "Maybe you could get a job as a firefighter too!"

Axel paused for a moment, the expression on his face suggesting he was considering it. "Well, the pay **_IS_** better..."**7**

Roxas sneezed rather loudly, causing both Nobodies to turn around. He backed away sheepishly.

"What's Thirteen doing here?" Marluxia asked, pointing at Roxas.

Axel shrugged, but seemed genuinely worried. He placed the last dish in front of Gigi and said, "Whatever. I'll have to come back with human food now..." He shrugged and started to leave. "Marluxia! Hurry it up! Vexen doesn't want anyone touching anything."

He'd caught Marluxia red-handed. Number eleven was just about to start fiddling with Vexen's supercomputer. "Aw, a bit of web searching couldn't hurt, could it?" The glare he received from our favorite pyro was priceless. "All right, all right! I'm coming!"

Roxas had to snigger at them. He remembered Marluxia as being a bit overly serious. Maybe that was only when he had some sort of responsibility.

"Who were they?" Jumba inquired, nodding to where the two had just stood.

"Axel, a friend of mine, and Marluxia," he replied.

The sound of something opening caught Roxas's attention. Searching for the source of the noise, Roxas saw giant, tentacle-like, metal things reaching out of a now opened hole in the ceiling. One grabbed Roxas's arm, the one where the brand still shown faintly, and made it impossible to escape its grasp. The other jabbed Roxas hard in the shoulder, just above the brand, and drew a red liquid—his blood. Once it had completed this task, the robotic 'things' retreated to their origin, a metal panel closing over them.

Roxas, slightly shocked, simply sat there as his blood ran down his arm. Then the pain snapped him back to reality. His sneezing also made him aware of his surroundings once again. He was trapped in Vexen's frozen laboratory with no chance of escape. Joy...

At this point, Axel ambled back in with two bowls of steaming soup. He gaped at Roxas's miraculous injury and set the bowls down within Roxas and Jumba's reach. Quickly, he pulled a large bandage from his pocket and patched up the cut. "How did you manage to hurt yourself like that when there's virtually nothing in the cage?" he asked, pausing as his fingers left the bandage, allowing them to linger over Roxas's brand.

Roxas was about to reply curtly, but sneezed again. _'Great. Now I'm catching a cold,' _he thought bitterly. Once again he sneezed, this time louder.

"Here," Axel said, pulling off his black coat. He handed it to Roxas and shivered. Underneath the coat were a black sleeveless shirt and black jeans. "Don't want you to freeze to death in this place." Now Axel was shivering slightly. "I'd eat the soup before it becomes a Popsicle." And with that, he left.

"Long as Barluxia didn't make it!" Roxas called back, finding difficulty speaking with a stuffy nose. He shrugged on coat quickly, finding it much warmer than expected.

Jumba sniffed the soup before pulling out the spoon and chugging the hot liquid. "That's better!" Jumba said with a laugh.

"Oogna tis meeshta!"**8** Stitch shouted, head-butting the bars of his cage. He rubbed his head. Determined, he grew and extra pair of arms and started pounding the cage with the four sets of claws.

"You think bars will break?" Jumba called over to his fuzzy experiment.

"Ie!" Stitch responded with a nod. Quite suddenly, the bars collapsed. Stitch grinned evilly and ran over to the nearest cage, this one containing a pink, female version of Stitch. "Angel!" This one he managed to smash in fewer attacks.

"Ndice," Roxas commented as the other members of Stitch's family attempted to help Stitch in various ways. Roxas would have drawn his Keyblades again, but was too cold and tired to be much help.

A black portal opened in one of the cages that were intact, this one now containing a yellow hairy experiment with large claws and a bow on its head. 'Clip', as Jumba put it, cut the bars down in a couple swipes and started on Roxas's prison.

"_We're gonna break you out," _came a voice from in Roxas's head. _"You aren't going crazy. It's me, Demyx,"_ the voice added, as an afterthought.

'_Demyx? What're you planning?'_ Roxas willed the Nobody to hear, but there was no response.

As soon as the bars before him snapped, a dark portal opened behind him, and the experiment that appeared had a stretched face and a tightly closed mouth. It gestured for everyone to follow it back through the portal, which everyone more than happily did. Roxas made sure all of the others escaped before he stepped through.

* * *

On the islands, Demyx was face first in the sandy beach, Roxas standing on his back. When Roxas saw this, he quickly hopped off and ran over to Sora and the others.

"That's it! At least twenty pairs of feet or claws ran across me!" Demyx complained. "I'm heading back to base!" And with that, he'd vanished through a portal.

"Ignoramus!" Vexen shouted at where his partner had stood. Sora and his friends drew their various weapons while the experiments bore their teeth and built-in artillery. Knowing he was beaten, Vexen vanished into his own portal.

Myrtle picked up Gigi around the middle. "I'm going home," she said snobbishly. Lilo stuck her tongue out at her back.

Roxas sneezed again. "So what habbened?" he asked.

"Demyx came up with an awesome plan to free you guys," Pence explained. "Best of all, he wouldn't be caught, since he didn't know which cage you were in."

"He figured there was always the chance he'd have the bad luck of throwing one of Stitch's Ohana into your cage and you guys escaping," Olette continued. "I can't believe Vexen fell for it!"

"Germs!" Pleakly shouted, realizing Roxas had a cold. "Germs are bad! Keep away!" He ran behind Nani and cowered. "Get them away from me!"

"Ignore Pleakly," Lilo whispered to Roxas. "He has germaphobia."

Nani sighed and invited the group inside. "We have plenty of room if you'd like to stay with us a bit. We owe you for saving our very big Ohana." She handed Roxas a box of tissues. "Have fun," she said sarcastically.

"What's with the coat?" Olette asked, sitting down on the sofa next to Roxas.

Roxas looked at her a moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about. "Oh! It was freezing in Vexen's lab, so Axel leant me his coat." He pulled it off quickly. "Question is, now what do I do with it?"

Selena smiled, "We give it back next time we see him. Unless you want to keep it." The last comment was simply taunting him, but Roxas actually considered it for a split second.

Shaking his head, he placed it on the floor. "Yeah, we'll give it back."

Hayner grinned as usual. "Must stink to have a cold while on a tropical island."

A quick glare was shot his way. "You try being kidnabbed and thrown into a cold roomb!" Roxas snapped.

A clock went off somewhere in the house. "Nine o'clock, Lilo. Time for bed," Nani said, pointing to the stairs.

"Aw! Can't I stay up?" Lilo begged. Stitch nodded in agreement.

"As Stitch would say, 'Naga'! Now go to bed!" Nani said it a little more forcefully.

Lilo looked pleadingly at Jumba, who said, "Uncle Jumba not convincing Big Girl. Little Girl on her own."

Annoyed, Lilo scuffed her heel on the floor and ran up the stairs. Stitch climbed up on the wall and followed from the ceiling.

"I'm curious why Roxas has that tattoo on his arm," said Riku. "He's not a Nobody or part of the Organization."

Roxas blew his nose again. "I have ndo idea." He shrugged and then yawned.

"Tired already?" Kairi tilted her head. "It's still early."

Naminé frowned. "I think we all had a little too much excitement today." She was looking directly at where Roxas brand had been before it had faded.

Nervously, Roxas covered the spot. Sora had seen the bandage, though. "What happened?" he asked.

Quietly, Roxas told them how he'd gained the injury. Only Naminé, Riku, and Jumba seemed to know what Vexen could possibly do with some of Roxas's blood, but none said a word.

"We should go to bed," Roxas suggested. He sneezed and blew his nose. "Besides, I'll probably have trouble sleeping like this."

Nani gave quick directions to the couple spare rooms in the house. Everyone gratefully lied down, and though they'd complained earlier, quickly fell asleep.

* * *

**1 **The Frog Man reference is to something in my head that would be too long to explain in the actual chapter, and would be way off topic, even for me. The basic idea was Varan had the urge to turn someone into a frog, and decided it be the most annoying person where she lived. He was turned into a toad, and automatically turned back at sundown. Many of the locals wished that he could have stayed a frog, so everyone calls the poor guy "Frog Man" from now on.

**2 **Sorry, but I could see Kairi in a Moogle suit. Just like I could see Sora in a teddy bear suit.

**3 **I heard this line somewhere, but I can't remember the exact place... Oh well.

**4 **According to a site I went on, that's what he wields. I have no clue what it actually is.

**5 **Not stolen from Harry Potter, honest! I came up with it myself. IT'S TRUE!

**6 **I think that's how you spell it. Ah well, close enough.

**7 **Not sure how much a firefighter is paid, but hey, it's gotta be better than no cash at all.

**8 **Don't ask me what it translates too. He shouts it in the movie as some sort of insult. Not even sure if it's spelled right.

That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Please send questions for the Q&A chapter. Thanks in advance! Later guys (much later. Darn school...)

Word Count? 5,889


	14. Mirrors

**Chapter 14: Mirrors**

Here's the update. More later.

* * *

"_Why'd you drag us here, Vexen?" Larxene asked, irritated._

_Vexen smiled falsely. "Well, I just created something very useful to us." He stepped aside and gestured to a limp figure propped up by a wall. "Its name is Kieran_**1**_. It won't be able to move of its own accord for a few hours."_

'_What am I seeing?'_ Roxas thought to himself. It was like he was watching the events unfold through someone else's eyes.

"_What is it, exactly?" asked the person Roxas was watching through. Roxas instantly recognized it as Axel._

_Vexen turned and grabbed the limp figure by the back of his Organization coat. "You of all people should be able to recognize it, Axel."_

_The boy was a duplicate of Roxas, right down the brand on his arm that Vexen was now proudly showing. "It's a perfect copy of Roxas." Kieran twitched and awoke, revealing his eyes to be a deep purple._

"_Its eyes are the wrong color," scoffed Larxene. "What is wrong with you?"_

_Eyes widening, Vexen examined Kieran closer. "That can't be! There shouldn't be a single flaw!" Angered, Vexen flung Kieran away from him._

_Roxas felt Axel flinch at the sight. It was a good thing no one noticed._

_Marluxia crossed his arms. "It's like that Riku replica you made. Useless."_

"_This thing was made with Number Thirteen's DNA! There—"_

"_I've heard enough," said a dark voice. Everyone turned to the person, but everything went dark before Roxas saw who had spoken._

"_Sorry, Roxas. That's all I could get you,"_ came Axel's voice a few seconds later. _"I would've been caught if I kept showing you what was happening."_

"_That's all right, I guess..." _was Roxas's reply. _"Was that really my clone...?"_

There was silence for a short time, and then, _"I'm not sure what Kieran was. I'll tell you this though: Vexen thinks he'll be able to wield your Keyblades. If he's right, they'll—"_

Roxas didn't need to hear the end of the sentence. _"They'll kill me."_

There was a sad pause. _"Yeah... I asked Demyx to try and destroy him. I can't do it; he looks too much like you."_

* * *

Roxas sat up with a loud sneeze. Hayner rubbed his eye lazily. "Sorry," Roxas said dully. He glanced out the nearby window at the rising sun.

"No problem," replied Hayner, scratching his head. "You were muttering in your sleep again."

"What did I say this time?" he asked nervously.

Hayner yawned and stretched. "Um... It was like you were talking to someone. I didn't catch most of it, but you said something about a clone and that someone would kill you."

There was a knock at the door, and Selena poked her head in. "Nani asked me to wake you guys up. Breakfast's ready." She walked in to wake up all the guys sleeping, minus Riku who came in after her. After a miniature war broke out between Riku and the now grumbling Sora, everyone wandered downstairs.

"How's you're arm?" Jumba asked, pouring maple syrup all over a plate of pancakes.

Roxas glanced up, confused for a few seconds. "Oh! Fine. Doesn't hurt or anything." He'd almost forgotten about his injury.

Stitch crawled in to one of the chairs at the table. "Sora leaving soon?" he asked.

"Yeah, we have to go, bud," said Sora with a small frown. "Wish there was a way to bring you along..."

Olette took a bit of her pancakes. "Why doesn't Kairi just summon him like the Gullwings and Maleficent?" she half suggested.

"How would I do that? I have—or had—Summon Gems for them." Kairi tilted her head.

"Just point your Keyblade at Stitch," Selena said simply. "If he agrees to helping us, that is."

"Ie!" Stitch said with a nod. "Stitch help!"

Kairi did as Selena had instructed. There was a bright flash, and her Keyblade was glowing a blue color. "Did it work?" Kairi asked tentatively.

"Stitch doesn't feel any different," said Stitch.

Pleakly came down, annoyed. "I say! Someone was snoring so loud it shook the bunk bed!"

"Don't look at me," Pence said. "Only Hayner ever gets mad at me for snoring."

Jumba chuckled. "Ah, sorry."

"Roxas, what did you do with that coat?" Nani asked, placing some more pancakes on the table. "It disappeared this morning."

A black portal opened, making everyone panic. Then, a paper airplane flew through, crashing into Sora's head and landing uselessly on the floor. Rolling his eyes, Sora read aloud, "'Axel asked me to write this, since he had 'better things to do', whatever that means. He says 'thanks for the coat back'.'" Sora crumpled the note up. "Looks like Axel took it back."

"Then he's a thief!" Pleakly complained, waving his fork around.

Naminé glanced at the clock, completely ignoring the alien's escapade. "What time are we leaving again?"

Selena thought for a few minutes. "Well, I went out this morning and fixed the ship, so we're good to go whenever we figure out a destination."

"_Roxas!"_

Roxas dropped his fork in surprise. He searched around for the source of the sound.

"_Roxas! That freak Nobody Xiruk took Kieran! The Beast's Castle! Hurry!"_

Confused even more, Roxas stared around. "You okay?" asked Lilo. "You look like you've seen Spooky."**2**

Slowly, Roxas said, "We should head for Beast's Castle, wherever that is. Axel mentioned it," he added, before anyone could say something.

Selena caught the hint. "All right, then we should leave now. That'll take a little bit to get to." She stood up and bowed politely to their hosts. "Thank you for letting us stay here for the night."

Donald and Goofy looked up from their breakfast. "We're leaving now?" they asked in unison.

"Yes, now," said Sora, jumping up. "I gotta see everyone there!"

Nani smiled. "Good luck with whatever you're doing."

"Aloha!" Lilo said with a wave.

Before anyone could ask, Nani explained, "Aloha means 'Hello' and 'Goodbye'. One doesn't come without the other."

Kairi nodded. "Aloha, then. We'll see each other again."

"Sora and friends part of Stitch's Ohana!" Stitch said with a huge grin. "Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

Sora grinned. "Yeah. We'll always be friends and Ohana."

Once they were out of the house, Selena retrieved her compass from her pocket. The needle was blue; they were off the trail.

"We'll find something in the next world," Kairi said with a nod.

Roxas smiled, hoping she was right.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Riku inquired once they were on the ship. "You spaced out for no reason."

Roxas blew his nose. "I heard a voice. It said to go to the Beast's Castle."

"Voices aren't a good sign," Olette said, feeling Roxas's forehead. "You don't have a fever, do you?"

"It was Axel. Nobodies can talk to me telepathically, remember?**3**" Roxas was wringing his hands nervously. "This morning, I had a dream. Axel was sending me his memory of something, I guess." When he saw this had gained some interest from Riku, Selena, and Naminé, he continued. "Vexen created a clone of me or something and Xiruk stole the clone."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Knew it. Vexen needs a life outside of cloning." At Sora's questioning look, he added, "He cloned me and did a bad job of it."

"So, Roxas's clone's in the Beast's Castle?" Donald asked.

Goofy crossed his arms and rubbed his chin with one hand. "Gawrsh, that sounds pretty strange."

Selena hit a few buttons on the control panel. "If Vexen created it, then it's probably evil. We'll have to kill it before it kills us."

Pence's eyes widened. "Don't say that! We might be able to get him on our side."

Roxas yawned sleepily. "I'm going back to sleep. I'm tired out."

"All you ever seem to do is sleep," Hayner commented. "I guess it's not your fault."

Roxas curled up in his chair, since more had been installed in Radiant Garden, and quickly fell asleep.

Naminé went over to him and brushed a few bangs from his face. "Why is he sleeping so much?"

Selena thought for a minute. "Maybe because of the way he was brought back..." She gazed at Roxas for a moment. "When he came back to life, he was almost dead. He'd lost himself entirely, and Naminé had to give him false memories to keep him alive. Then we put him in Twilight Town without even thinking about what might happen to him..."

"What's wrong with him?" Olette asked, not quite knowing what was to be said next.

"I'm not sure, but I think Roxas is still incomplete. His old memories are coming back, but it's sapping his strength. I was hoping he'd get a few months to remember before everything happened." Selena's eyes dropped to her hands. "For all I know, he could die!" She messed up her hair in frustration.

"What can we do?" Hayner asked, shocked by the news.

Naminé answered this one. "Keep an eye on him and hope nothing bad happens." She allowed her fingers to trace Roxas's cheek.

Hayner hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I'll protect him, no matter what."

"That was almost brotherly of you," Pence commented. "Whatever happened to 'I hate Roxas'?"

Hayner closed his eyes. "When we go back to Twilight Town, I'm never buying you ice cream again."

Olette giggled. "I'll protect Roxas too."

Sora nodded, along with everyone else. Of course, Roxas hadn't heard a word of what they had said, for he was suffering through his own nightmares.

* * *

_"Where am I?" asked a small voice. A boy with blonde hair and large violet eyes was staring around a cold room. A dark portal appeared before him. "Who are you?" he asked the person before him._

_The hooded man pulled out a knife, and was about to slit the still unsuspecting victim's throat, when another portal appeared. The man hid the dagger before the other person had stepped from the darkness._

_Xiruk grabbed the boy's arm. "I'm taking Kieran with me," he said. "Hope you don't mind."_

_Kieran tried to pull away. "Let me go!" he cried, but his body wouldn't cooperate. "Help! Someone!" He reached out with his hand toward the stationary hooded figure. "Please!"_

"_I won't hurt you," Xiruk cooed, dragging Kieran to his feet. "I thank you for your cooperation, Demyx." And with that, they vanished through a dark portal._

Roxas jolted up suddenly, knocking into Hayner's face. "OW!" they both exclaimed. Roxas rubbed the back of his head while Hayner held his nose. "I think by nose is broken," Hayner said flatly.

"It's not," Olette said. "Glad you're awake. How you feeling?"

Blinking, Roxas said, "Okay, I guess..." Why the sudden concern? "Hey! My cold's gone!"

Selena smiled. "There are cures for colds you know. I just needed to remember where Varan put it."**4**

Shrugging, Roxas asked, "Hey, can this necklace thing let me see other people's memories?" He pulled the necklace out from under his shirt by the string, so that the charm dangled in front of his face.**5**

"I've never heard of it doing that, but there's a possibility. Sometimes, spells can take on a nature of their own." Selena said, calmly. "We're almost there!" she cried suddenly.

Ahead was a wold with a giant castle on the top. "It's huge!" Pence commented excitedly. "What's there exactly?"

Riku glanced at Sora. "I think I'll stay on the ship," he said.

"Why?" Sora inquired. "It'll be fun! Cogsworth and the others—well, maybe not Cogsworth—will be happy to see you!"

Not even bothering to roll his eyes, Riku said, "Did you forget the 'incident' in Radiant Garden already?" Sora blinked. "With Belle?" Again, Sora didn't get it. "SORA! YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"

Donald nodded in agreement. "Remember? He abducted Belle and all the other princesses!"

"Gawrsh! That's right! If we go to the Princesses' worlds, Riku might run inta trouble!" Goofy pointed out.

Sora grinned. "They won't hold it against them if we try and explain."

Hayner cocked his head in minor confusion. "I'm guessing this has nothing to do with us and you aren't going to explain it?"

"Later. Much later," Selena replied, hitting a few buttons for landing.

* * *

"Prince!" Sora called out into the empty hallways. It was brightly lit, with large statues and paintings all over. Many seemed chipped or broken, making Roxas wonder. "Belle? Mrs. Potts?" Still no answer. "Where is everyone?"

A small boy with blonde hair ran up to Sora. He grinned, revealing that he was missing his front teeth. "Hi Sora! Recognize me?"

Sora crossed his arms and thought for a second. "Chip?" When the boy nodded enthusiastically, Sora responded, "The curse got broken? I knew Belle could do it!"

A woman with brown hair tied back in a ponytail by a blue ribbon was walking down the staircase, followed closely by a man with straw colored hair. The woman glanced up and dashed down the stairs when she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Oh, it's wonderful too see you all again!" she said happily.

"Yes," said the man with a sheepish grin. He caught sight of Riku and Roxas, and his eyes widened. "What are they doing in **_MY CASTLE_**?" he roared, making Sora realize exactly who he was. The man lunged at Riku first, but Sora managed to grab the man's arm.

"Belle! Get Riku outta here!" he begged, barely able to restrain the man with Donald and Goofy's help.

Belle nodded, grabbing both Riku and Roxas's hands. She ran quickly, pulling both boys behind her. They were led through a hallways and hallways, until Roxas couldn't tell where he'd been or how to get back to his friends. At last they reached a large parlor room.

A fire roared in the fireplace and lit the entire room with a warm glow. Belle motioned to a red, comfy armchair, which Roxas gratefully sat in. "What are you doing here?" Belle asked them when he stared around the room. "Don't you think you've caused enough trouble?"

Roxas cocked his head in confusion, but Riku seemed to know what she was talking about. "I hardly remember anything about when the Beast came to Hallow Bastion. Heck, I hardly remember anything from when Maleficent gave me the dark powers she called a 'gift' to when Xehanort's Heartless possessed me, and I don't remember a thing after that until when Sora beat Xehanort's Heartless."

Belle crossed her arms, but her expression showed that she'd believed him. She rounded on Roxas next. "You? What's your excuse?"

Now Roxas was very confused indeed. "What's my excuse...? Uh... I just got here with Sora. I don't know why that guy freaked out or whatever."

Belle raised an eyebrow and sat in another armchair. "Yesterday, a boy came to the castle. We assumed he'd gotten lost, and it was pouring rain, so we allowed him to stay. As soon as he came in, he started destroying everything in the castle!" Belle stared into the glowing embers of the warm fire. "We barely kept him from the library." She turned back to Roxas. "He looked exactly like you."

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Roxas cried, realizing who could have done this. "I'll prove it if I have to!"

"She's not blaming you, so simmer down," Riku said. He was leaning against one of the walls. "We'll just have to bring the real culprit to justice."

The doors to the parlor banged opened, revealing the man from before. He approached, seemingly ready to strangle Roxas or Riku, whoever he caught first. "How dare you show your faces in **_MY CASTLE_**!" he roared. Literally. Roxas jumped out of the chair and backed away, while Riku drew his Way to Dawn.

There was a strange sparking that engulfed the man. His limbs became longer, his hands morphing into claws. His teeth grew longer until they were sharp, pointed fangs.

"Master!" shouted a voice. A fat man with curly brown hair dashed in. "Master, you must calm yourself!" But the man wouldn't hear it. When the transformation was complete, a hideous beast stood in the man's place. "Master! Calm yourself!"

The beast roared and launched to attack Roxas, but Belle jumped in his path. "Stand down!" the beast shouted.

"No," Belle replied simply. "They haven't caused any harm." She reached into her apron pocket and retrieved a mirror. "Look what you've become!" She revealed his reflection.

Taken aback, the beast stared into the mirror. "I'm... a beast?"

Once again, the doors were shoved open, this time revealing Sora and the others. "Everyone okay?" Donald asked, but screamed. "What happened!"

Selena took a few steps closer to the beast. "That is one powerful curse," she stated flatly. "I don't envy you, but I might be able to fix it."

The beast gave her a cold glare, but didn't say anything. Roxas sat back down in the armchair, his head spinning slightly. Hayner ran over and asked if he was all right.

Roxas nodded, though it wasn't very convincing. "I didn't do anything, honest," he said weakly to the beast.

Olette went over to Roxas quickly. "Maybe you should rest. You haven't been feeling very well, recently."

"When have I ever felt fine?" Roxas laughed. It sounded hollow, even to his own ears.

Selena glanced at the beast and requested politely, "May we speak with Roxas in private for a moment? I'll figure out the curse after," she added.

Grudgingly, the beast nodded and left, with Belle right behind. She turned and said, "If you need anything, just call." She closed the parlor doors.

Almost positive what was going to be said, Roxas whispered, "What's wrong with me, exactly?"

Selena bit her lip, but said nothing. Naminé shuffled her feet, not wanting to say anything. Riku avoided Roxas's gaze, as did Olette and Pence. Sora glanced quickly at Donald and Goofy, who were both holding their mouths shut. Only Hayner spoke.

"You have to promise not to freak," he said quietly.

Roxas didn't answer for a long time. Finally, "I have a right to know."

Without so much as looking at Roxas, Selena said, "You're incomplete. You might disappear, or even die. You've been so weak because of this..."

Roxas eyes widened and he jumped out of his seat. "No! I won't disappear!" he almost shouted in hysterics. "Tell me you know how to fix this!" When Selena didn't respond, he did the only thing that came to mind. He ran. He ran out of the castle; he ran from the courtyard into the surrounding forest. He ran until his sides hurt and couldn't run another step.

Hot tears were rolling down his cheeks as he sat down on a nearby boulder. What else could he do? He cried so hard, his head hurt. He felt like he'd be sick, but still the tears came.

A dark portal opened, but Roxas didn't bother looking up. The person who came out placed a gentle gloved hand on Roxas's shoulder. There was a voice, quiet and full of worry, but Roxas couldn't understand. Roxas swatted the hand away and continued to cry. The hand didn't return. The person who had come turned and with some inaudible words, vanished through a portal.

For what felt like an eternity Roxas cried. Why did everything happen to him? Why couldn't he be normal, like Sora or Hayner or Riku?

A rustling sound from the bushes brought Roxas back to reality. An almost exact duplicate of Roxas burst through into the clearing, his black Organization coat caught on one of the branches. His purple eyes fell on Roxas, and he cried, "You have to help me!" His voice was a bit high-pitched, much like a girl's. "Please!" He spun around to face an exceptionally small Shadow.**6**

Roxas's head swam from the headache. Sighing, he drew the Oathkeeper and easily sliced the Heartless in half.

The boy blinked, and then a grin spread across his face. "That was amazing! Thank you so much for saving me! My name's Kieran, by the way. What's yours?"

Roxas didn't reply. Instead, he started down the path that led back to the beast's castle. The sound of crackling leaves followed him. "Stop following me, will you?" he snapped at Kieran.

Kieran looked taken aback, but whispered, "I have nowhere else to go. What if one of those things attacks me again?" Was he really that weak and defenseless, or just acting?

Groaning, Roxas said, "Fine, but be careful." Not another word was spoken until they reached the castle courtyard, where Kieran started to "Oooo" and "Ah" at the trees and flowers that Roxas had ignored when he'd run off.

Glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, Roxas signaled for Kieran to follow. He hoped his friends were still in the parlor from earlier, and that he could find the place.

For what felt like an eternity he wandered through the halls with Kieran close behind. Once he'd found the door, he felt his insides churn. They were probably mad at him by now. Bringing Kieran more than likely wouldn't help either.

"...we gonna do?" Olette cried as he pushed the door open. "Axel won't tell us where he is!"

Selena shook her head. "I've been calling him, but he won't listen to me. He's really upset."

Roxas just then realized that there'd been a prodding in the back of his head the entire time he'd been gone. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Sorry about freaking out on you guys."

Hayner looked up. "You're back! We were worried!"

Embarrassed, Roxas apologized again. "I kinda found something... er... strange." He pointed behind him, where Kieran was still gaping at the sight of the huge castle.

Pence jumped up. "No way! It's—" but Selena shushed him quickly.

Kieran blinked, his purple eyes focussed on Roxas's friends. "What? Is there something on my face?" He inched back nervously. "Could you stop staring? It's kinda freakin' me out."

Confusion shown on everyone's face and Roxas explained how he'd come across his clone, without, of course, mentioning the word. During the explanation, Kieran was skimming the titles of a large bookshelf, randomly pulling an exceptionally large one off. He began reading it just as Roxas finished.

"He doesn't seem evil," Olette said under her breath. "I mean, he had the chance to destroy everything in the room, and he didn't."

Belle knocked and peaked into the room. "Has Roxas come back yet?" she inquired.

Selena gave a quick nod. "And... Um... Is this the person who destroyed the castle?" She gestured to Kieran, who was so absorbed into the book that he didn't notice Belle enter.

Eyes wide as saucers, Belle exclaimed, "Yes! That's him! Who—"

Kieran glanced up at that moment. "Hi?" he said, but it was more of a question. "Are you the person who owns this castle? It's really amazing! I mean, all the statues and books—I like the books—and paintings!" He was speeding up as he went. "This place is beautiful! And—"**7**

Hayner slapped a hand over Kieran's mouth. "Jeez! This kid talks too much! He should get a lesson from Vivi or Fujin!"

Pence sniggered, but then said, "He doesn't seem like he'd hurt a fly, let alone smash statues and stuff."

Kieran's eyes widened, and he pulled Hayner's hand off his mouth. "Who would smash those statues? They're so pretty! Well, maybe not the gargoyles. Those are kinda creepy."

"Can't you be quiet for one minute!" Hayner complained, rather loudly.

There were some thumps outside the room, and the beast entered. Knowing what would happen when he saw Kieran, Belle said, "We found someone who looks like the one who destroyed the castle, but it's definitely not the same person. Please keep your temper this time."

Kieran's mouth hung open slightly as the beast gave a cold glare and neither said a word. Suddenly, Sora and the others burst in.

"Finally! We were getting sick of looking for you!" Donald complained.

"He didn't mean that," Kairi said quickly. "He's mad because Sora pushed him into the lake."

That explained why Sora's hair was charred on the ends and his face had ash. All the same, he grinned. "It was worth being blasted."

Riku caught sight of Kieran. "So you found him?" he asked, calmly. "I was wondering when I'd meet the infamous clone."

Shocked, Kieran jumped up and backed away. "You won't hurt me, will you?" he asked, tentatively. "I never did anything wrong, honest!"

"Gawrsh, but didn't you break stuff in the castle?" Goofy's face showed that he was perplexed.

"I didn't do it!" insisted Kieran. "There was this Heartless! It somehow turned into me and started causing trouble! I don't know what it was, but it was really strong! That guy, Xiruk, tried to kill it, but it beat him!"

This caught Riku's interest. "Then let's find it. If we can do that, you'll be proved innocent."

Kieran nodded and said, "I saw it in the forest! I can show you where, if you want."

Sora turned to the beast. "You can come along, if you want. You're really good at killing Heartless."

The beast shook his head. "You can handle it, Sora. I have to find a way to break the curse again."

Selena, meanwhile, pulled a scroll from her bag. "Thank you, Varan!" she whispered. She read something from it that sounded like gibberish, and the beast started glowing. He was then transformed back into his human form. "Gotta love magic scrolls," Selena commented.

"I'm not even going to ask why you didn't use it earlier," said Pence. "So, we going?"

They all nodded, and headed out to the forest.

* * *

**1. **Kieran is a Celtic/Gaelic name meaning "Little Dark One"

**2. **Spook is Experiment 300 and turns into your worse fears.

**3. **Check Wind's Melody

**4. **If only there was a cure for colds... (sigh)

**5. **This is the start of page 100 on my Word Processor. YAY!

**6. **Now THAT'S sad.

**7. **Scary. He talks more than I do.

That's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will have the Q and A at the end, so look forward to that. Anywho, later guys!

Word Count? 4,586


	15. Sacrifice

**Chapter 15: Sacrifice**

Not the nicest title, eh? Enjoy the chapter. Q&A at the end.

* * *

The forest around them was silent as the grave. Darkness was falling and the air was becoming cooler. Roxas shivered, though Kieran didn't seem to care. Everyone's breath puffed in small clouds. 

"It gets cold early in this world," Olette commented, trying to lift the tension that had spread among everyone.

Her attempt failed, and silence returned. The trees were graying in the dimming light, until Roxas leaned against one to catch his breath. He leapt away as he felt the bark start to crumble. "It's... dead..." he said nervously.

"This one too!" Kairi pointed out. "The grass isn't alive either!"

"What could do this to everything?" Hayner asked, backing away slowly from what looked like a dead badger.

"What do you think?" The calm voice came from the branches of a nearby, living tree. Xiruk was sitting quietly, watching them with his maliciously glinting eyes. "That Heartless drains energy when it steals a person's form. Kieran felt it before, and so did I. Those animals couldn't hold up."

Kieran smiled. "So you're okay? I was worried about you! Oh!" He bowed politely. "Thank you for saving me before. I really—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just kill the stupid Heartless." Xiruk opened a dark portal below him, jumped from the branch, and vanished into the swirling black portal.

Riku glowered where the figure had stood. "What a freak. Come on, let's go."

There was a rustling in the underbrush, making everyone jump. Axel stepped out, not at all alarmed by the blades pointed at him. "Roxas, get away from that clone. It's dangerous."

Kieran inched away, ducking behind Selena. Pretty pointless, considering he was definitely taller that her.

Roxas smiled. "He's not dangerous; he wouldn't hurt a fly."

Naminé gazed uncertainly at Axel, until another redhead burst through the bushes. "Roxas! Careful! That guys a fake!"

The first Axel spun around to face his mirror image. "What? How dare you say that!"

Stunned, Roxas retreated slightly. Then he realized. "One of them has got to be that Heartless!"

Pence ducked behind his shield and whispered to Roxas, "But which is which?"

Roxas felt dizzy and fell to his knees. _'Why now? Of all times, why now?'_ he thought, his head spinning.

"Roxas!" Naminé cried, kneeling down next to him.

The second Axel was the first to react. "No!" he shouted, dashing over. "Are you all right?" He tried to get to Roxas's side, but Sora stopped him with the Keyblade. Uselessly, Axel reached for Roxas, but wasn't even close.

The other Axel was rooted to the spot, not quite understanding what was happening. Unlike the Axel that was trying to reach his friend with tears started to roll down his cheeks, this one had a stony face and didn't move a muscle.

"That's the fake!" Olette said, retrieving her wand from her pocket.

"Took you this long to figure that out?" the first Axel laughed in a hollow voice. He glowed, his form shifted, and now another Kieran stood before them. His eyes fell on Sora. Once again, the fake glowed, but Sora cried out in pain. The real Sora was breathing heavily, hands on his knees, while a mirror image for Sora replaced Kieran's.

"Stop it!" Kieran shouted hopelessly.

The Heartless rounded on Kairi, who had her arms around Sora to help him stay on his feet. She lost her balance, making both her and Sora fall. Axel drew his blades to stop the creature.

In mid-attack, Axel stopped. The Heartless had turned into Kieran and gave a pitiful look, only to knock the Organization member almost three yards away in a single blow. With the threats to it slowly disappearing, the Heartless turned on everyone, transforming into each before going to the next.

Only Kieran and Riku stood. Naminé was holding Roxas's limp body closer to her, speaking in a low voice, trying to keep him conscious. The Heartless stepped closer, murder glinting in his eyes.

Riku drew his Keyblade and shouted to Kieran, "Get Naminé and Roxas out of here! Now!"

"I don't think so," the Heartless said in Sora's voice. It grinned darkly, its hand turning into a long, black spike. "I only have to absorb you three and then I'll finish you off."

Hayner dived at the Heartless, trying to stab through it. The Heartless easily spun around and stabbed Hayner straight through. "Nice try. Be a good little boy and just lay there until I'm finished." He tossed Hayner a few feet away, where he didn't move.

"Hayner..." Roxas whispered, trying to reach a hand out to friend.

The Heartless copied Riku's form, and then smiled at Roxas. A sharp pain shot through him, but it quickly faded, along with the rest of his senses. "Oh dear, I guess I killed him," the Heartless said with faked sadness. It grinned and transformed into Xiruk. "Might as well let you join him, traitor," he said to Riku.

Just as the Heartless was about to gouge Riku, a sword shaped like a dragon wing easily sliced through it. "Like I'd allow a Heartless to use my form to defeat my Other," Xiruk said calmly, making the Soul Reaper disappear with a shrug. "Kieran, come on. We're leaving."

Kieran started to follow Xiruk like a lost puppy, but turned back to the scene unfolding. Hayner was covering the wound he'd received while Donald desperately tried to heal him with Curaga. The others, meanwhile, were crying over Roxas, who was slowly vanishing like any other Nobody. Tears were even fogging up Axel's vision as he shook Roxas, begging his friend to regain consciousness.

"There's something I have to do," Kieran whispered, running over to them. "I'd rather Roxas survive as the real thing than live on as a cheap imitation," he said, pulling Roxas into an embrace. There was a bright flash, and Kieran disappeared. Roxas glowed for a few seconds, and the fading ceased. His breath returned to him in short gasps.

Everyone cried, not only from the happiness of Roxas returning to them, but also because Kieran—who even in the short time had become their friend—had given himself up. "We won't forget your sacrifice, Kieran..." Axel whispered, head bowed. "Thank you..."

"You can't come crying to me later, you idiot," said Xiruk both sadly and sarcastically. No one noticed that he'd vansished in his own dark portal.

* * *

Roxas sat up in darkness, feeling weak. The woman in white from his last visit knelt next to him. "Are you all right?" she whispered. 

"He's awake, isn't he?" asked the one in black. "That Kieran kid is what I'm more worried about."

Roxas's eyes fell on Kieran, who stood a few feet away, slowly disappearing. "I'm giving what little of my life is left to you, Roxas," Kieran said weakly. "I wasn't meant to exist, so it's better that you survive."

"What?" was all Roxas could manage to say. "Don't say that! We'll both be fine!"

Kieran shook his head. "No. I was going to disappear any. It's better if you survive."**1**

Before Roxas could argue, Kieran held out a hand. "It was nice meeting you. I'm glad we could be friends, even for a short time." And with that, he was gone.

"Don't fret," said the woman in white. "His life may be in you now, but his heart and soul have gone to Kingdom Hearts. He'll be reborn someday, but probably in a different form."

"Don't waste what he gave you," said the woman in black. "You're friends are calling you back. I'd hurry back if I was you."

Both smiled as Roxas closed his eyes and returned to life.**2**

**

* * *

1. This is starting to sound like a bad soap opera... XP**

**2. **I know. I'm pathetic.

That's it for this chapter. Actually, I think this is the shortest chapter I've written yet... O.o; Thank you for reading. I know this chapter was not very good, but bare with me. I'll update soon... After I update something else. I'm getting complaints about lack of updating on other fics. XP

* * *

**Q and A**

Yep, I said there'd be one for this fic. So here ya go.

**How'd you come up with Varan and Selena?**

Well, both I created for a fanfic that I wrote a LONG time ago. So long ago, I don't remember what the fic was for or about. I just remembered really liking Varan and Selena. Fact is, Selena used to be named something else, but I don't remember what that was. I don't know how I got Varan either. I do know that Varan was the original name.

**What inspired you to write this fic?**

I mostly felt bad for Roxas. I had a couple different ideas for how this would go, but I liked this idea best.

**Fics you'd suggest?**

My Favorites list is too long. If you liked this one, I'd suggest:

**1 **A Long Lost Memory by Jupiter-Lightning

**2 **Livewire by Haphazardous Inspiration

**3 **Sora's Goodbye by Hurkydoesntknow

**4 **The Keyblade Master Chronicles by Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan

**5 **The Life of Roxas Karuto by xXzexionXx

**6 **The Master Magi of the Keyblade by Magichands0849

**7 **Who's to Say by Jupiter-Lightning

**8 **Corollary of the Unexpected by Haphazardous Inspiration

**9 **And my other fanfictions. XD

**Are there gonna be anymore Roxas kidnapping attempts?**

Well, I can't give a definite answer, but there will be more kidnapping attempts on the characters. Secret who and when though.

**What gave you the idea of Cloud being possessed in the Coliseum?**

I'd like to say I came up with it by doing something special, but all I really did was stare out the window for a half hour and said "Hey, I want Cloud to be possessed. I need Sephiroth to show up. Hmmm..." and then came up with that idea.

**Does that make Varan the "something witch of the south"?**

Varan's a witch, but not from Oz, so no, she's not the witch of the south.

**How did a shard of Axel's heart get lodged into Roxas's heart?**

I suppose I shoulda gone into more detail back in that chapter, but that was before I came up with the useful little subtitles. Axel and Roxas were closely linked because they were friends. Their hearts were connected. When a heart shatters, the pieces scatter. Axel's went searching for Roxas's heart because they were friends. Kinda like how Kairi's heart was in Sora's throughout KH1.

**How did you get all those Angel things to re-create Roxas?**

Do you mean in literal story terms? If that's the case, it will be revealed later. As for the idea, I came up with it similarly to how I came up with Cloud's being possessed, but not staring out a window. I got it by staring at the back of my teacher's head when she was repeating "Verb Conjugation" for the millionth time.

**Did the Organization's nobodies find their mirror selves in the dark realm when they returned to darkness?**

You'd have to ask the Nobodies that one. (laughs) No, they didn't. They weren't really warped to the Dark Realm. Their hearts went to Kingdom Hearts when the Heartless carrying it was beaten, and then their soul joined it. Or, that's what I think at least... (scratches head)

**How come you're rude to Riku in this fic?**

That's a hard one to answer. It's just in character for Selena to be mean to him, I guess. Plus, you gotta admit that the fic would get cheesy if everyone was nice to Riku all the time.

**Did Sora and Riku unknowingly bring Maleficent into the castle?**

No, they didn't bring her cape into the castle, if that's what you mean. If you mean that they brought her back, Riku knew that's how it worked. The joke is: they were being so careful not to bring her back, and then messed up. Lol.

**What happened to Pete?**

I have no idea what happened to Pete. He'll show up sooner or later... I think.

**Did you write the book, and did one of your enemies or Varan write "untrue"?**

None of the main characters wrote the book. Varan and Selena's enemies didn't write the "untrue" in there. That's referring to the actual legend in the book.

**Since Organization XIII is trying to kidnap Roxas, why aren't they trying to kidnap Naminé too?**

That'll be explained in a later chapter, but it's not a spoiler to tell you now. Roxas used to be part of Organization XIII, but Naminé was never an official member. The Organization figures it'll be more useful to get Roxas instead of Naminé, since he has a Keyblade and Naminé can't even fight.

**Where did Roxas get the necklace again?**

The charm that became the Broken Gate was the jewel, not the rune.

**When and how did you find out that Riku Replica's name was Nisemono?**

Well, a certain flamer who shall remain anonymous (cough, cough, Rain Urameshi, cough, cough) brought it to my attention. I don't remember when that was, but she annoyed me to death when I renamed him Haru in my fanfic, Kingdom Hearts meets House of Mouse. Then she constantly flamed... She was annoying...

**Is there a REAL villain who has a heart of light? If so, did she use Angel's Blood to give the Organization bodies?**

You'll just have to read and find out. I can't tell! That's a major spoiler!

**Remember threat thing in chapter six when you said that the organization was looking for a way into the realm of darkness? I thought that the World that Never Was was in the realm of darkness. Also they use dark corridors.**

Yes, I remember the threat. According to my fic, the World that Never Was is in the Realm of the Light. Dark corridors are links formed by darkness, but don't cut through the Dark Realm. Confusing, yes, but this is fanfiction. XD

**Thank you for the questions,**

Akito17

Twilight Power

Rachel

Mini fanfic timeline!

Starts August 19th

6 days in Twilight Town (August 25th)

Night on Gummi (August 26th)

½ day in Disney Castle (August 26th)

1 day in Radiant Garden (August 27th)

1 day in Land of Dragons (August 28th)

Night in Gummi (August 29th)

1 Day in Coliseum (August 29th)

Night in Gummi (August 30th)

1 Day in Radiant Garden (August 31st)

1 Day in Aloha (September 1st)

1 Day in Beast's Castle (September 2nd)

Total adventure time: 12 days


	16. Under the Sea

**Chapter 16: Under the Sea**

'nough said. Thanks for the reviews, everyone. The fic has over 100 now! Woohoo!!

* * *

Roxas opened his eyes sleepily and stared around. The cockpit of the Gummi seemed too brightly lit. He shielded his eyes for a moment against the glare. He heard a small whimpering from the corner and looked.

"Oh come on, Hayner! It's only a scratch!" Selena snapped as she sprayed something on a deep slash in Hayner's chest.

"That's a scratch when Heartless stop taking hearts," said Riku with a shrug.

Olette leaned over Roxas's face. "Roxas is alive!"

"What?" Hayner whooped, but cried out as the wound stretched. "That's great!" he choked. "Dude, you stopped breathing for a while. We were worried!"

Roxas felt himself shudder. "Are you all right? That looks painful..."

Hayner shrugged, wincing. "Selena put something on it to dull the pain..."

Selena pulled out a bottle of a swirling silver liquid and poured it onto a clean cloth. "This will definitely sting. Hold still."

"How long are you going to be cleaning that?" Pence inquired. "You've been at it the past twenty minutes."

Hayner grunted as Selena put the cloth to the top of the gash and gently pulled it across to the bottom. As she did so, the cut magically healed under the cloth until all that was left was a thin scar.

"Amazing!" Sora said with a grin. "What is that stuff?"

Selena shrugged, not answering as she packed up her miniature first aid kit.

"How are you feeling?" Naminé asked. Roxas looked up into her face and only then realized where he was. He sat up suddenly, looking back at Naminé to make sure that he'd been lying in her lap while unconscious.

"I-I'm fine," he stuttered. He felt his cheeks turn red, but ignored it. "What happened exactly? I remember dying... I think."

Kairi nodded solemnly. "You did, but then Kieran gave up his life to save yours. We found a heart shard in the Heartless; Selena thinks that's why it could talk and be so powerful."

Somehow, Roxas believed it. Something on his arm stung, and he stared at the return of the XIII brand. "Joy. Why's that back?"

"It reappeared when Kieran gave you his life-force. It should wear off eventually," Riku said calmly.

"You've been out cold for a while," Olette said worriedly. "We were scared..."

Goofy gave a loud snore from his seat. Donald was out cold as well. Selena giggled and said, "It's getting pretty late. We should all get some shut-eye."

Roxas yawned. He was sleepy, but it wasn't the same weak tiredness he'd felt for so long.

"How are you tired?" Sora asked with a grin.

Roxas shrugged and sat in his own seat. "It's what, midnight? Let's just sleep."

Everyone nodded. Before Roxas lost consciousness, though, he heard a familiar tune, but he couldn't place it before his mind gave way to dreams.

The thing that awoke the guys around seven was the beeping from Olette's laptop.**1** Wide-awake, she hit one of the keys. Varan's smiling face greeted them.

"How are you faring?" she asked.

"Perfectly well," Selena replied sarcastically. "Hayner was injured—I took care of that just fine—and Roxas died and was resurrected by his clone, Kieran," she quickly added.

Varan nodded. "I see... Nothing new to report here. Just a warning, though, I'd pick your destination soon and get there ASAP. An astronomical storm's supposed to start sometime."

"Great..." Selena turned to Sora. "Any ideas?"

"ATLANTICA!!" Sora said, pointing to a world.

Selena smiled calmly and entered something into the computer. The ship started rocking dangerously just as she finished.

"What's happening?" Pence asked, grabbing onto the nearby chair.

"Astronomical winds," replied Selena. The rocking stopped suddenly. "We're within the world's atmosphere. We'll be fine for now."

"How are we supposed to breathe there?" Olette inquired.

Donald crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "I don't have enough magic to transform us all!"

Selena left the cockpit for a moment and then came back with three scrolls, each sealed shut with blue wax. "I can handle that." She broke each wax seal.

Roxas remembered seeing the paper catch fire, remembered trying run over to get her to drop the burning papers. He also remembered his legs giving and falling to the ground. He didn't remember landing.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Goofy asked.

Roxas opened his eyes and stared straight into Goofy's, but something wasn't quite right. Not only was Goofy a turtle, but he was upside-down! Surprised, he cried out as he realized that he was floating in water.

Goofy offered Roxas a flipper, which he gratefully took to be right side up. It was only then that he noticed his deep blue tail. His mouth hung open slightly as he stared hard at it. The brand on his arm stung painfully, making him grab it.

Selena swam over, making powerful kicks with a light pink tail with scales that reflected every color of the rainbow. She had something green in her hand, which she gently wrapped around the burn. "This'll numb it. Now we know what they mean when they say 'Rubbing salt in an open wound,' huh?"

Although the pain ebbed away, it felt strange to not feel his upper arm. Shrugging, Roxas moved his tail a little to keep from sinking. The black pouch he'd gotten from Varan a long time before floated to his eye-level. "Why's this here?" he asked, pulling it down by the leather thread holding it around his neck. He normally kept the pouch in his pocket.

"Before we landed, I made sure to grab it for you," Selena replied simply. "Guys, how's it coming?" she called over to the others.

Sora had a dark blue tail with a fin on the back, much like Roxas's. Hayner had a green camouflage tail with a dorsal fin, while Pence had a similar looking one in emerald. Riku's, which was silver and had two fins on the back of his tail instead of one, had jagged edges on the end. All of them weren't wearing shirts, making Hayner's new scar painfully obvious.

The girls seemed a little better at the swimming thing. Kairi had a crimson tail, Olette had a bright orange tail, and Naminé had an ivory colored tail. Kairi had her pink shirt on, fully zipped up. Olette had on her orange tank top with the hibiscus flowers. Naminé simply had on a blood red bikini top.

As for Donald and Goofy... Well, Goofy was a turtle, while Donald was half octopus.

Roxas flicked his tail gently, propelling himself toward his friends. It was harder than it looked. "So, now what do we do?"

Selena dug her compass from her purse. The needle was spinning wildly. "Most importantly, we find the heart shards in this world. Second, Sora wants to say hi to all of his friends."

"And possibly star in a musical," Sora added to the to-do list.

While Selena went over the plan, Roxas tried to get a feel for where they were. They were definitely in some kind of underwater canyon; that much he could tell. The coral around them was gray or white: dead. A huge clamshell sat on one of the few red coral towers.

"Run for your lives!" cried a voice with a strong Jamaican accent. A small crab was swimming toward the group, closely followed by a yellow fish with blue stripes and fins.

"Run from what, Sebastian?" Sora asked the crab.

The fish hid behind Sora. "Those things that you scared off before are back!"

As if on cue, a bunch of jellyfish-looking things with Heartless symbols approached. Sora grinned, drawing the Broken Gate Keyblade**2**. Without much trouble, he simply hacked the things to pieces.

Another, larger, jellyfish appeared. Donald rolled his eyes. "I'll take care of the stupid thing." He blasted it with a Thundaga spell, instantly killing it off.

"Is it just me, or are these things really pathetic?" Hayner inquired.

Roxas had a feeling someone or something was watching them and spun around. He saw a shadow disappear behind a reef, but nothing else. "This place is giving me the creeps..." he stated flatly.

"His Majesty I'm sure would like to meet your friends," Sebastian pointed out. "He knows more about what those creatures are up to than we do, I'm sure."

Nodding to each other, they made their way to the castle. The closer they were to the castle, the more colorful the coral and other plants became. Once the palace was insight, the ocean floor was literally a mosaic of different shells, corals, plants, and fish.

Most of the fish were talking in low voices and didn't bother looking up as the new merpeople clumsily swam toward the throne room. Well, Roxas, Hayner and Pence were the only ones really having problems; Olette and Kairi were on swim teams, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been in Atlantica fighting Heartless and other tasks before, Selena made plenty of visits, and Riku apparently had been there just before Sora had arrived.

"You swim before His Majesty, King Triton," Sebastian introduced officially.

The man sitting on a large chair looked up. He had a well-kept beard, even if it was long and floating everywhere in the water. His tail was a light blue. On his head was a gold crown. "Keybearer, we need your help," he said in an official tone.

"So do we, Your Majesty," Sora said, bowing. "You see, something we're looking for is here, and we have to find it. Do you have any idea?"

King Triton, closed his eyes for a moment. "It depends what you are searching for," he said at last. He nodded as Sora gave a quick description of what the heart shard looked like without actually mentioning what the gem was. "We**3** haven't seen anything of the sort. It could be in Ariel's old grotto, or possibly even in Ursula's lair. Maybe it's on land, and Ariel will know of it."

"Then we'll check her grotto and then..." Donald said, but paused. "Hey, wait a second! You mean Ariel's on land?"

"She got married to Prince Eric a few months ago," said Flounder, the fish that had been with Sebastian.

"Gawrsh, everyone seems to be gettin' married and not invitin' us, ahyuk," Goofy commented.

Just as they were about to leave, though, King Triton stopped them. "Beware, there are new Heartless swimming the seas."

Sora spun over so that he could still swim but face King Triton. "We'll be careful. Promise." Then, he rammed into one of the columns**4**. "Ow!"

Riku rolled his eyes and pulled Sora along by the arm.

They soon reached a pile of rocks. The opening was covered by a door, which Sora easily pulled out of the way.

The inside amazed Roxas. Rocks were eroded into shelves that held a bunch of objects he recognized, most of which were not in the correct place. A candleholder and a fork, spoon, and knife in it, for instance.

Selena checked her compass again. "The needle's going crazy here. We must be close."

They spread out, searching the different boxes and barrels. Kairi was the one who spotted the jewel in a little music box. The ballerina dancing to a sad tune had the gem wedged in the gap between her and her one painted wooden arm. Pence easily extracted the blue stone without much trouble.

"Must be Demyx's," Roxas commented when he saw the small musical notes spinning around the inside.

Selena put the bag in her bag and checked the compass again. It still didn't do anything but twitch. "There's still another around here."

Everyone groaned. Sebastian shook his head. "Why not check on land?"

"But, we can't walk around with tails," Naminé pointed out, until she noticed Selena pulling out a few more scrolls.

Selena smiled and said to no one in particular, "Varan, I love you and your foresight." She gestured for them to swim to the shore.

Roxas's fins were aching by the time they reached the beach. Unlike Destiny Islands, it was surrounded by rock formations, making it feel more foreboding than the other**5**. Selena opened the scrolls, dived underwater for a few seconds. She came up soon after and climbed out to shore. The only sign that she'd been in the water was the fact her hair was wet. The rest of her was dry.

Naminé followed suit, stepping onto the beach in her white skirt. Once everyone was out of the water and squeezing out his or her hair, Selena warned, "Just don't go completely underwater. If you do, you'll turn back into a merperson. The spells meant to be temporary until certain conditions are met."

Everyone nodded as they headed in the direction of a large city. Riku, being the tallest, managed to hail a cab, and they climbed in the cart behind the driver. "The castle, please," Selena said calmly.

They reached the place no problem, but entering was much tougher. After arguing for what felt like hours with the guards, Olette finally managed to convince them that they weren't assassins, thieves, kidnappers, or any form of terrorist.

The inside was more extravagant then the outside, but Roxas couldn't get a good look at everything. They were already being pushed to a large dining hall. A woman with red hair a shade lighter than Kairi's sat next to a man with ebony hair. They both glanced up.

"Sora?" the woman asked, and then her face broke out into a smile. "Sora! What are you doing here?"

"You're the merboy that helped us handle Ursula, right?" the man stood up.

Sora nodded, trapped in a hug from the woman Roxas assumed to be Ariel. Finally, Sora managed to pull away and introduce Roxas and the others.

"We need some help. We're looking for a jewel that has vast magical powers and can cause plenty of Chaos. Any ideas where we can find it?" Donald tapped his foot impatiently.

The man, Eric, shook his head. "I don't have a clue."

Selena had inspected her compass during the introductions. "It's not in the castle, guys. It has to be somewhere nearby, though."

"I can help search, if you want," Ariel offered.

Hayner thought for a second. "Let's check the beaches and everything. Stuff always gets lost in the sand."

"Work our way from the ocean inland? Hayner, that has to be one of the best judgment you've made in months!" Olette was giggling.

Thankfully, Ariel and Eric had a private driver. Eric couldn't join the group because he had duties as the king of the land. Ariel on the other hand, wanted to get to the water as soon as possible and have an excuse to go "treasure hunting," as Sebastian put it.

For a long time they combed the beach, not finding a thing. The compass was going crazy again; meaning the gem was nearby.

They reached a stone cove. The waves crashed down incessantly, smoothing the path to the point where it was difficult not to slip. Quietly, Selena shook her head. "Not here either."

Everyone groaned. Just as they were about to leave, a tall wave broke right overtop of Roxas. Soaked, Roxas squeezed out the bottom of his shirt with the checkers across the front and sleeves. "I'm okay," he called over.

Something grabbed his ankle, making him cry out in surprise. Whatever it was pulled hard, dragging him down. As he slipped, he hit his head on one of the stone and blacked out instantly.

Roxas barely remembered anything after that. He remembered opening his eyes a few times and weakly inspecting the place he'd drifted down to for the one who'd pulled him under. It happened a few times before it occurred to Roxas that the person or creature that had done so was no longer around. It took him even longer to realize that the water surrounding him was murky.

What made him notice was his difficulty breathing more than the opaque fog around him. He saw something in the distance that had a resemblance of a human shape carrying a giant, gold fork, but he couldn't make it out. Not only was the water cloudy, but so was his vision from hitting his head. His eyes closed, though he willed them to stay open. He was conscious long enough to feel muscular arms lift him, but then nothingness engulfed him again.

* * *

Roxas was sitting on the ground, leaning against a large building. He didn't care that the ground was slightly wet from the rain a few days before he'd arrived; his new black coat was waterproof. Gloomily, he touched his upper arm again and flinched as a pain shot through his entire limb.

"If it hurts so much, stop touching it," said a patronizing voice. "You really aren't that smart, are you, Kid?"

"I told you, my name's Roxas," he snapped. "I'm not stupid. It's your fault my arm hurts anyway! You're the one who did it."

Axel rolled his eyes. "At least get off the ground. You want that coat to get dirty already?"

After sending a cold glare Axel's way, Roxas turned his head away. His hand was still over the brand he'd just received unwillingly the day before.

"Look, I wanted to say I was sorry. I know how painful that is."

Surprised, Roxas faced Axel again, but quickly regained his glare. "Yeah right." He felt hot tears splashing down his cheeks.

Sighing sarcastically, Axel lifted the sleeve of his coat to revealing a brand of his own: _VIII_. It almost looked like a tattoo, the way it wasn't red around the edges as Roxas's was. "It'll take a few days for it to stop hurting, but you'll live." From his pocket, he retrieved a container of some kind of goo. "This'll numb it."

"Thanks, uh..." Roxas struggled to remember Axel's name.

"Axel, got it memorized?" Axel grinned, but turned away just as Roxas noticed.

"Something wrong?"

There was a long pause. "Nothing. Just put that on the brand and it'll stop burning. Make sure to use it whenever it hurts, got it memorized?" With that, Axel simply walked away.

* * *

Moaning, Roxas opened his eyes. This time, the water and his vision were both crystal-clear. He sat up, ignoring his throbbing head. He was lying on something spongy and was surrounded by coral and shells in the shape of furniture. Sitting on the table next to him were bandages made of seaweed, each stained with something red.

Realizing what must have happened, Roxas touched the back of his head. A bandage was wrapped around his head, but he felt something warm and thick around it. He spun around quickly to see a thin haze of red blood. _'Wonderful,'_ he thought.

"You're awake!" Roxas spun around again to see Flounder torpedoing toward him. "I'm so glad! We were afraid you were going to go belly up!"

A sudden wave of dizziness overtook Roxas, making Flounder's eyes widen in panic. The fish ducked underneath Roxas arm and help him float. "Maybe you should lie down a little bit more."

Roxas laughed. "I'll be fine. I've had worse."

"Like that burn?" Flounder inquired nervously.

Roxas stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, then refocused his gaze on the mark on his arm. The seaweed Selena had put on it was taken off, but it didn't hurt any longer. It was just... there... Roxas shuddered at the thought of it this time being permanent.

Flounder must have felt it because he said, "I really think you should lie down." He helped Roxas lower himself back on the spongy bed.

There was some inaudible shouting outside of the room, and then the rock serving as a door banged open, revealing Axel's worried face. King Triton quickly followed him inside and swam in the space between the two. The king's face was livid.

"Who do you think you are, barging into the castle and then demanding to see the Keybearer's friend?"

"I'm a friend of his, got it memorized? Roxas, you in one piece?" Axel turned to Roxas and waved slightly.

Meanwhile, Roxas was still in slight shock from seeing Axel there. On land it would have made sense, but under the sea... that would mean they had someone with some sort of knowledge of magic, which none of the Organization could do. _"I'll explain later. Just answer so the old guy doesn't kill me with that triton."_

"I'm fine, Axel," was all he could manage to say.

"That's a relief." Axel gave an urgent flick of his long, red tail and coasted to the other side of the room. "You sure you're not hurt?"

Roxas gave a quick nod. "Uh... Yeah. What's up?"

Axel frowned, but said, "Neverland. Get there when you finish whatever it is you're doing here." _"Be careful. Marluxia was doing something there."_

Roxas nodded, not saying a word. Once Axel left, he fell backward onto the spongy bed, exhausted. It had taken all of his willpower to sit and not faint or something similar.

"Are you all right?" King Triton inquired, not unkindly.

Roxas had to laugh. "I'll live." He stared blankly at the dark stone ceiling. "My friends don't know I'm here, do they?"

"Sebastian went to alert them." Triton replied calmly. "You should get more rest."

Roxas shook his head. "I have to get back to them..."

Flounder shook his head quickly. Triton, on the other hand, raised his voice; "You are staying here until you are able to at least swim in a straight line! Have I made myself clear?"

Taken aback, Roxas nodded. Triton then held out a spiral shell with a piece of seaweed on it to hang around the neck. "This has a bit of my Triton's power, but only enough to protect you and your friends from the fog."

"What fog?"

"The one you fell into. It's been polluting the sea. If a creature, whether human, merperson, or fish, gets caught in it, they can't move and it fills their gills, making it impossible for them to breath," Triton turned to leave. "That will keep you from fainting from that, at least."

Once Roxas was positive the king was gone, he rushed from the room, with Flounder in his wake. "Stop following me!" he called back. "I need to do something!"

"King Triton told me to keep an eye on you, so I am," was Flouder's response. "I don't mind that you're leaving."

Roxas gave a smile. "Thanks. How far to the surface?"

"Not much!"

The two broke the surface. The first thing Roxas did was locate the shore and swim as quickly as possible for it. Next, he searched for his friends. He spotted a seagull, and decided that if fish could talk, so could seagulls.

"Excuse me!" he called.

The gull, startled, almost dropped his spyglass and flipped it the wrong way. "Hey! What do you want there?" he shouted.

After choking down some laughter, Roxas said, "I'm looking for my friends. One's—"

"Can you find Ariel?" Flounder asked. "His friends are with her."

"If I can't find her, then my name's not Scuttle!" he declared, flapping his wings. He soared away clumsily.

Roxas watched as he disappeared over the rocky cliffs. "Are you sure that was a good idea? It looks like he's gonna crash."

"I bet he will," was Flounder's simple response.

For what felt like hours, Roxas waited. He dived below the waves whenever he heard a sound, his eyes just barely above the water to catch a glimpse of who it was. A few times they were villagers. Others, they were simply stray cats. After yet another false alarm, he saw them.

He swam up as quickly as possible, but paused when Selena shook her head.

"The shards not on land," she called back. She was the first to dash into the waves to join Roxas, but the others soon followed.

"You were amazing when that monster grabbed ya, man!" Sebastian commented. Roxas froze. "The way you fought was awe-inspiring! It was like you'd been in the sea all your life!"

Not wanting to think about what he couldn't remember, Roxas dived below the waves, the others following quickly.

"Woah! The water's thick as pea soup!" Sora commented, staring around.

Riku, meanwhile, was searching the fog, spinning from one spot to another. "There are a ton of Heartless here. I can sense them. They're what's causing this."

Movement in the corner of Roxas's eye caught his attention. There, a small school of strange, oversized fish was swimming in the gloom. The creatures' fins were spiny, but each was a different color. The red one stopped and stared at them. Roxas strained his eyes to get a better view through the fog, but then drew back. On the fish's head, right between the now apparently empty eye-sockets, was a Heartless symbol.

Roxas was the first to draw his Keyblades, but Riku and Sora were quick to follow. The fish took one look at them and swam away.

"Okay...?" Sora said, tilting his head to the side in confusion. He turned to Riku. "Any idea what those were?"

Riku crossed his arms and closed his eyes, probably running a mental list of Heartless through his mind. At last, he nodded. "Those are called Elementum. Like the name suggests, they travel and schools and... well... control different elements. They're pretty tough, but that's only because of their numbers."**6**

"Should we follow them?" inquired Olette.

"If their the ones causing the trouble, than of course! His Majesty I'm sure is furious about this mess!" Sebastian cut in. "You have to defeat them! Those things are a menace!"

Deciding not to argue with the crab's logic, the group swam after the Heartless. Roxas couldn't help but notice that the shell around his neck. The glow coming from it was enough to illuminate the reefs and rocks they were navigating through. Finally, they reached an opening where there'd normally get plenty of light filtering through the waves but instead only thick-fogged shadow.

The school was waiting at the edge of the rocky clearing. Riku was right; there were a lot of Elementum.

"Why are they just floating there?" Pence whispered.

Hayner drew his sword. "Does it matter? Let's just get them!"

The Elementum reacted to the threat accordingly. The one with the red dorsal fin sparkled menacingly, and a huge fireball shot at Hayner. Hayner managed to dodge, but then the yellow one sparked and sent lightning bolts flying.

Hayner was knocked back by the charge, and was stunned. "I can't move!" Hayner said, surprise all over his face.

"Fire!" Olette cried, aiming at the light blue fish. The red one dived in the spell's path, absorbing the flame. "What?"

"It absorbed the magic!" Naminé gasped. She glanced worriedly at Roxas.

Roxas drew his Keyblades, and managed to dodge the ice spell flung at him by the blue fish, like Hayner. He barely dodged a bolt of lightning.

The red fish launched a fireball at Roxas, who managed to knock it back with a swing of the Keyblade. Thankfully, the blue fish was pounded by the spell. It shook it off, but was moving slower.

The fish were sore losers, though. They all huddled together, and sent each of their attacks at Roxas in unison.

For some reason, Roxas couldn't move. He just stared at the spell approaching quickly, but time seemed to be slowing down. The problem was his body felt numb.

Then, at the last minute, Roxas dived, cutting through the water. He launched himself at the monsters. He reached the yellow one first, slicing it in half.

Angered, the blue one charged, but Roxas easily destroyed that Heartless too with a swing of the Oathkeeper. The red shook and shot at Roxas, flame engulfing it. Expertly, Roxas turned and was ready to chop the Elementum in to tiny pieces. There was a huge explosion.

"Roxas!" Naminé cried, reaching for him, but being held back by Pence. "Roxas! Answer me! Please!!"

The cloud slowly started dissolving into the now thinning fog. A slightly shocked Roxas was coughing and spluttering from the ash that had gotten into his lungs—or gills; Roxas wasn't sure what a merperson had.

Hayner shakily swam over. "You okay, bud?"

"I'm more worried about you," Roxas replied, still surprised.

Selena calmly drifted over. "Heartless don't kill people. You should know that by now, Roxas. That shock was only enough to cause the nerves to shut down for a few minutes."

Roxas felt the blood rush to his face. "Well, excuse me for not realizing that."

"That was amazing!" Sora said, a grin taking up most of his face. "Dude! You just beat all those Heartless in one hit! I don't think even I could do that, even in Final Form."

Riku simply said, "Good job," and left it at that.

Meanwhile, Pence was scanning the ocean floor. With the fog disappearing, it was a much easier job. "I don't see it anywhere!" he called.

"What?" Selena pulled out her compass and stared. The needle was twitching lazily, but it wasn't as erratic as on the beach. "Maybe... Maybe it was on land, but not where we were looking. Somewhere between the ocean and the sea..."

"The rock that seagull was on, maybe," Roxas whispered.

"Scuttle collects things. He might have whatever you guys are looking for." Flounder nodded to the water above.

The group swam to the surface, but Roxas was having difficulty. He wasn't paying attention, so he'd drift in the wrong direction. How had he defeated those Elementum? He honestly had no idea. His body had just acted on its own. Was that normal for someone who was scared stiff?

"Roxas, focus!" Pence said as Roxas bumped in to him for the fifth time.

"Sorry. Flounder, are we almost there?" Roxas tried to look through the haze up at the light filtering through the waves.

"Almost," was Flounder's response.

At long last they reached the surface. Olette was the one to strike up a conversation with the seagull. "You wouldn't happen to have a shiny jewel, would you?"

"You mean a Twinkle**7**?" Scuttle searched his nest. "This what you're looking for?" He held up a light colored shard with what looked like flower petals swirling around inside. "This is an interesting piece, you know that?"

Sora smiled. "Can we have it? I'll trade you"—he pulled a Potion from seemingly nowhere—"this for that."

"Ooo!! A Thingamabob! You have a deal, Sir!" Scuttle took the object and handed Sora the Heart shard. "Thanks for doing business."

"Let's go," Selena said.

Olette's jaw dropped. "What? Can't we stay here the night?"

Selena shook her head. "We have to keep moving. You know that."

Roxas frowned, having looked forward to a good night's sleep in a comfy bed, but then remembered. "Axel said to head for Neverland, wherever that is."

This excited Sora and Goofy, even if Donald wasn't interested. "We can say 'hi' to Peter and Tink, ahyuk."

"If we leave now, we'll make it there in a few hours," Donald said, checking his watch.

"Then we **_CAN_** stay the night!" Olette clapped her hands happily.

Sebastian sighed. "If the argument's over now, you all are welcome at the castle."

Everyone nodded to each other and agreed that a warm bed, even if underwater, would be a welcomed comfort.

* * *

**1. **Olette, Kairi, Naminé, and Selena are morning people, Olette always being up the earliest. Not extremely important.

**2. **Broken Gate's his new Keyblade design, remember?

**3. **Since kings supposedly represent the entire country, monarchs often refer to themselves as "we".

**4. **Either Sora's a klutz or an idiot. I'm still not sure which.

**5. **Roxas went to Destiny Islands in Chapter 5, sort of...

**6. **Elementum are Heartless that I made up. Thanks go to Jupiter-Lightning for the name.

**7. **Anyone who has seen "A Little Snow Fairy Named Sugar" knows what I'm referring to. XD

That's it for this chapter. I hoped you liked it. Meanwhile, my computer is pure unadulterated evil (that's why it took so long for the update). I'd like to say one thing, since I won't get a chance on the actual day: **_HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!_**


	17. Never Never Land

**Chapter 17: Never Never Land**

Stupid Social Studies Project (long story). Anywho, here's the chapter.

* * *

"_Tell me babe. How many do I shed me tears? Every heart, every heart is not a gentle, yet... Shall I do? I can never say my loneliness. Every heart doesn't know what to say or what to do—_" Demyx was hit in the head by Marluxia. 

"Stop singing about hearts. We don't have any," Marluxia growled, and then he simply stalked away.

Demyx stuck his tongue out at Marluxia's retreating form. "Wouldn't know good music if it bit him in the butt."

"I thought it was good," Roxas said uncertainly. "What was it, exactly?"

Demyx grinned. "Well, you seem to have good taste! The song is a popular lullaby in Hallow Bastion, the world we all were originally from. It's called Every Heart**1**, and is really awesome!"

Axel rolled his eyes. "Demyx, you'll rot the kid's brain with your bad music. Seriously, I've never heard worse singing."

"Hey, keep rude comments to yourself!" Demyx snapped. "Just because **_YOU'RE_** tone-deaf, doesn't mean you can just insult me!"

Roxas snickered. "Why do guys always fight, anyway? I mean, Nobodies don't have hearts, right?"

Demyx and Axel exchanged quick glances. "Yeah, well, we like to pretend we do," was Demyx's simple answer. "Life's more fun that way."

* * *

Roxas opened his eyes and glanced around the underwater room. Blearily, he sat up and stretched. A sound caught his attention. As he approached the source, he recognized it as Kairi's voice. 

The closer he swam, the more he realized that he recognized the tune she was singing gently.

"_Was afraid of darkness, cause I felt that I was left alone. So I prayed for help to the distant million stars!_"**2** Kairi stopped when she saw Roxas. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

Shaking his head quickly, Roxas said, "No. I kinda woke myself up..." He trailed off as he noticed Sora's head resting on Kairi's lap.

Kairi followed his stare. "Oh! Eh heh heh, Sora was having trouble sleeping and asked if I could sing for him." She smiled, embarrassed.

Roxas smiled. "I figured that's what happened. Do you know what time it is?"

"Nope. It's still pretty late though. I'd guess," she paused, thinking, "two in the morning?"

Groaning, Roxas thanked her and swam back to his room. He didn't feel drowsy, but knew if he didn't sleep, he'd probably be tired later. He curled up on his spongy bed and tried to close his eyes, to no avail.

Kairi was no longer singing; he'd hoped that her song could possibly lull him to sleep as it had done Sora. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the tune once again.

Someone brushed his bangs from his face, but he could see whom, for his eyelids felt heavy, even if he couldn't fall asleep. He heard a gentle tune, but it was not the song Kairi had sung. _"Nobody knows who I really am. I've never felt this empty before. And if I ever need someone to come along, who's gonna comfort me, and keep me strong? We all are rowing the boat of faith. The waves keep on coming and we can't escape..._**3**"

Roxas didn't hear the ending. He was already sound asleep.

* * *

"Come on, sleepy head! Wake up." Hayner poked Roxas gently. 

"Hn...? Sorry, did I oversleep?" Roxas rubbed his eye in an attempt to wake himself up more.

"No. Pence isn't even up yet. Selena just came by saying we should get up if we want to look around Neverland today."

"Why? Is it far away?"

Hayner shrugged. "No idea, but Sora seemed pretty excited. Said something about flying lessons..."

An image of them growing wings filled Roxas's mind. "You don't think this'll be another world where we transform, do you?"

Once again, Hayner shrugged. "Let's just get outta here. Who knows what they eat for breakfast around here." Hayner fin smacked Pence in the face. "Oy! Pence! Time to get up!"

"What was that for?" Pence asked, rubbing the tail-shaped mark on his face. "That hurt!"

As they were leaving, Roxas inquired, "Did anyone come into our room last night?"

"You know I sleep like a rock—unless Pence snores," Hayner replied. "Guys! Everyone's up? Let's go!"

King Triton swam up to them. "We all thank you for your help. May the waves guide you."

Sora bowed, "No problem, Your Majesty. I only wish we could have stayed to star in one of Sebastian's musicals."

The crab smiled. "Next time. I promise I'll have the greatest symphony written for your return!"

Sora nodded, and they left the palace. Once out of sight, the Gummi beamed them up.

* * *

"Let's get to Neverland!" Sora said excitedly. 

"Marluxia's there," Roxas reminded him. "It's not safe. Maybe I should—" Roxas was interrupted.

"Why are you so exited to go there, Sora?" Kairi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Donald answered the question. "We have friends there."

"Yeah! Peter Pan!" Goofy said with his usual grin. "He was a buddy of ours and helped us out a whole bunch! And Tinkerbell too!"

Riku closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Peter Pan... Why does that name sound familiar...?" He was mouthing words, as if going through a mental list of people, but in the end glanced at Sora for help.

"You don't know about Peter? Jeez! Riku, what rock did you crawl under in Neverland? He was the flying person Hook always had trouble with! I coulda sworn you saw him when he was trying to get Wendy back."**4**

Riku rolled his eyes. "Oh, him. I remember him now."

What Riku said rung a bell with Roxas. _"I hardly remember anything from when Maleficent gave me the dark powers she called a 'gift' to when Xehanort's Heartless possessed me, and I don't remember a thing after that until when Sora beat Xehanort's Heartless." _Roxas hadn't thought he'd actually meant it literally. Riku really couldn't remember what happened with the Heartless? He hadn't truly believed it.

"Gawrsh, what if we run into trouble?"

Olette smiled. "I don't think we'll have a problem! After all, Riku's changed since then, right?" When she got a nod from Riku, she continued, "Besides, you have friends there. If you say Riku's not evil, then they should believe you that he's not evil."

"I doubt Peter'll believe that," was Sora's reply, but they dropped the subject as the world came into view.

* * *

"So, where are we, exactly?" Pence asked, glancing around the woods. 

The group stood in a clearing, surrounded by tropical plants and trees. The towering trees blocked out much of the sky, but the clearing was bright from the not only the sunrays leaking through the treetops but glowing mushrooms as well.

"No idea," said Sora brightly. "I'll see if I can find Peter!" He jumped into the air.

Selena eyes widened. "Wait! Sora! Don't—"

Sora hovered for a few moments and then came crashing down. "Ow!"

Sighing, Selena rolled her eyes. "Sora, fairy dust doesn't last forever. I'm surprised you even managed to stay airborne that long." She offered Sora a hand, which he gratefully accepted to stand. "Typically, it's a one year deal."

"So we have to walk?" Donald groaned. "I'm still sore from all that swimming!"

Hayner laughed. "I gotta agree with him. I mean I'm—"

"You're what?" Olette asked, turning. "Hayner?"

Naminé glanced around. "Where did Hayner go?" After she'd uttered the question, she screamed.

"Naminé?!" Roxas shouted, turning to where she'd just been standing. "Now she's gone too! Naminé!"

Riku looked hopefully at Selena. "Did you sense anything?"

"No."

"You're useless," he sighed.

Selena gave him a cold glare. "Look at the pot calling the kettle black! You wouldn't be asking me if you sensed something yourself. One more thing!" She hit him hard on the back of the head**5**, but he didn't get the rest of the lecture.

Riku turned again to where Selena had been standing. "What's going on?!"

Quickly, the group started disappearing in a similar fashion, some without even making a sound. Soon, only Sora, Riku, and Roxas were left, each with their Keyblades drawn.

"Any ideas?" Sora asked nervously.

"Nope," was Riku's reply. "What about you, Roxas?"

Roxas shook his head. "Who or what is doing this?"

Riku glanced around the clearing again. Slowly, Riku lowered his weapon and carefully picked his way over to the ring of glowing mushrooms. His eyes widened when he saw it. "It's a Fairy Ring...**6** It must be disrupting Selena and my senses."

"Riku! Get back here before whatever kidnapped the others gets you too!" Sora yelled. "Man, I wish I could fly!"

Sora blinked, but Roxas caught the entire scene from the corner of his eye. Hands reached out of a bush near Riku and pulled him into it, covering his mouth expertly to keep him from shouting.

"Let's get out of here," Roxas hissed to Sora. "People in the bushes are grabbing them. If we find your friend, we might be able to get out of this mess."

"On three?" Sora muttered.

In unison, they whispered, "One, two...**_ THREE_**!!!!!" They dashed into the underbrush. Sora hacked viciously at the vines barring their path, while Roxas constantly looked back.

"Woah!" Sora had stepped in a noose on the ground and was flung into the air with it around his foot. "Roxas! Keep going!"

Ignoring the command, Roxas attempted to grab him, but something hard hit him in the back of the head. The world went suddenly dark.

Roxas felt his head throbbing moments later when he came to. Dark, painted faces were peering down at him, or, more at his arm. His limbs felt numb, but he shied away from the men's prodding fingers slightly.

The two men turned to each other and relayed a complicated series of clicks and sounds to each other. _'Great,'_ Roxas thought, _'they speak a different language. This'll be fun.'_

The taller of the two hauled Roxas's limp body over his shoulder and spoke to his comrade once more. The shorter laughed and led the way through the thickets to what appeared to be their settlement.

The bright sunlight made Roxas blink a few times. Curiously, he glanced around. Women were sitting on colorful rugs, mending ripped cloth as children ran around. In the center was a roaring fire, as well as various men banging drums and creating a lot of hullabaloo.**7**

Around the fire were large stakes driven into the ground, each with one of Roxas's friends tied to it. Before Roxas could get their attention, he was dropped onto the ground. His muscles weren't so numb; maybe he could make a run for it.

As if reading his mind, the shorter man grabbed Roxas by the hair and held firm. He muttered something in his language to Roxas, and of course Roxas couldn't understand a word of it.

Apparently annoyed, Selena shouted something at them in their language, making them all jump. Satisfied, she conversed with one of the closer men with a large spear. She must have said something correctly, for the man pulled out a knife and cut her ropes.

"What did you do?" Roxas inquired, his eyes watering. His captor was not very gentle and not about to let go anytime soon.

Selena smiled sheepishly. "I invoked an ancient Red Men code." She then added for Sora's benefit, "It's like Parlé, only a lot more helpful."**8**

Sora nodded to himself. "That makes sense."

One of the Red Men shouted at Selena, and she snapped something back. The Red Man started laughing, almost collapsing.

"You said turkey," said one in a calm voice. The man was fully clothed, unlike many of the other members of his tribe, and wore a large headdress. "I think you meant to say"—he clicked his tongue similarly to Selena's words, with a few differences—"for 'explain'."**9**

"Ah! You must be the Chief! It's a pleasure." Selena bowed. "It's a good thing you speak English. I'm not the best at the Red Men language, as I'm sure you've already discovered."

The man chuckled. "We get very few travelers who know of our traditions. The pleasure is all mine. Now, may I speak with you in private?"

Selena nodded, but glanced back at Roxas. "Could you tell him to not be so rough? That's awfully painful, you realize."

The chief stared at Roxas's captor, and then said something imperiously. The man instantly let go of Roxas's hair.

"Roxas, behave and stay put, all right?" said Selena. "I'll get this all sorted out. Just don't do anything stupid."

Frowning, Roxas repeat, "Don't do anything stupid? How old do you think I am?"

"It's common sense," replied Olette. "They captured us because they're suspicious. If you do something to insult them, then they might ignore whatever their chief told them and throw you into the fire."

The group waited for what seemed like hours. Hayner was muttering angrily about something, while Pence was patiently whistling. Olette was attempting to start a conversation with a girl a few feet away who apparently understood her to a certain extent. Sora was staring constantly at the sky, as was Donald and Goofy. Kairi was inspecting what she could see of the Red Men camp with interest. Roxas wasn't interested in what was going on.

A high pitched scream rang out through the camp, making even the Red Men jump. A sobbing woman ran out of a nearby tent, babbling incessantly.

"What happened?" Selena cried, dashing into the clearing.

The chieftain grabbed the woman's shoulders and said something in a calm and collected voice. The answer, though, made him wide-eyed. He dashed quickly to the tent that the woman had just run out of.

With a small gasp, Selena whispered, "Riku, did you sense anything?"

Riku blinked, as if waking from a trance. "What?"

"I said, did you sense anything?"

With a quick shake of his head, Riku muttered, "I didn't sense a thing, and I've been trying to for the past who knows how long, and nothing came."

"Something has been attacking not only the Red Men, but everyone in Neverland. It doesn't act like a normal Heartless; it doesn't take people's hearts. According to the chief, it puts people in so deep a sleep, that nothing can wake them."

"So why capture us like that?" Naminé inquired as a nearby Red Man cut the ropes.

"A man who looked like a woman came and told them the monster doing this was disguised as a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. They'd know it was him by the symbol _XIII_ on his arm." Selena once again glanced nervously at the tent the chief had just entered.

Roxas's eyes widened. "What? I can't do anything like that!"

"We know now," said the chief in a morose voice.**10** "I apologize for detaining you for so long."

Olette inquired, "Can you tell us what just happened?"

The chief bowed his head slightly. "My daughter, Tigerlily, was attacked by the monster. You've proved your innocence just by staying here."

Sora crossed his arms. "We'll figure out what's going on here! I bet Marluxia had something to do with all—"

A rooster's crow broke the silence starting to fill the camp. Suddenly, a boy in green dive-bombed into the camp, pulling up just in time to face Sora. "Hey! It's been a while!"

"Peter! It's great to see you again!" Sora grinned and turned to the others. "This is Peter Pan, the guy I told you about."

A light flitted around Roxas, tinkling loudly.

"That's Tinkerbell," Sora added. "Tink, do you think you can give us all some more Pixie Dust? The stuff kinda wore off..."

The light tinkled happily, and flew around everyone in the group, throwing mass amounts of a gold dust that made Pence sneeze. When Tinkerbell approached Roxas, he saw that she was a tiny fairy girl with blond hair tied back in a bun and wearing green hair.

Tinkerbell stopped just before she got to Riku and rung loudly. Peter stared for a few moments, and then said, "Hey! You're that guy from the pirate ship that kidnapped Wendy!"

"No, I'm pretty sure that idiot with the crocodile issues did that," replied Riku in monotone.

Tinkerbell glared at him angrily and kicked him hard in the nose. Then she flew over to Sora again.

"Ah, come on, Tink," Sora practically begged. "I'm sorry about what a moron Riku was!"

Tinkerbell grudgingly nodded and threw a ton of Pixie Dust at Riku viciously.

Sighing, Riku brushed the excess glitter from his shoulders. "Nice to know I'm so well loved here," he muttered sarcastically.

Peter just then noticed the chief's depressed face. "What's up? The pirates kidnap Tigerlily again? I'll take 'em down!"

"Not quite," Pence whispered. "A Heartless attacked her, or we think that's what happened."

Peter slapped a hand to his forehead. "That's just great! What kind of Heartless? Definitely not one of those ones that worked for the pirates."

Smiling brightly, Peter then said, "How about we go to my secret base? We can get the Lost Boys to help!"

"Lost boys?" Olette said, blankly.

"Yeah!" Peter held up a hand and tapped a finger as he listed names. "Slightly, Cubby, Nibs, Tootles, and the Twins! They've been itching for an adventure since the pirates are laying off for a while!" He laughed.

He started to fly away, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy on his tail. Sora spun around. "Oh! We forgot to teach you guys how to fly! Right!"

Donald turned and tapped his foot impatiently on the air. "You have to believe you can fly**11** and think of a wonderful thought. Simple as that."

With difficulty, everyone raised into the air. Selena got it pretty quickly, since she'd apparently done it before with Varan years before. Roxas, the last to be airborne, took a deep breath and searched his mind for something—anything—that could help him.

A stray thought popped into his head, making him blush. It did the trick though, and he shot into the air. He turned to the chief, who'd been watching them silently. "Sorry for the trouble we caused. We'll figure out how to help Tigerlily, I promise."

The chieftain smiled grimly. "We hope you can, but we've searched for many suns and yet to find a cure. Now go, before your friends leave you behind!"

Roxas nodded, and followed his friends.

Goofy did a back flip and kept pace with Roxas. "What did you think of? I normally think of hanging out with Sora, ahyuk."

Roxas felt the blushing return. The 'wonderful thought' that came to him was kissing Naminé, but he'd die of embarrassment if he were to tell anyone. Plus, Hayner would probably pick on him for life. "Skateboarding," he lied.

There was a loud cawing sound, and a giant-sized raven swooped down on the group. Its talons were aimed for Selena, who then screamed. Riku flew in the raven's path and easily slashed it with his Keyblade. "You have to be more careful!" he snapped. "You're useless at fighting!"

"Oh really?" growled Selena dangerously. Tears were pouring from her tears in her anger. "Well, sorry for not being a 'Great and Powerful Keyblade Master!' I'll leave and make it so you have less people to protect!" She flew off in a huff.

Olette glanced at Riku. "Smooth, Riku. That has to have been the dumbest thing I've seen you do yet. I'll go make sure she's all right."

"I'm coming too!" Naminé said quickly, flying after Olette and Selena.

Kairi stared after them. "I have to agree with Olette on that one."

"We're almost there!" Peter called back. "It's that tree down there!" He dived to a small hole and easily made it through. Everyone followed, mostly without mishap. Pence barely squeezed through, and Goofy somehow managed to get stuck.

After an interesting game of Tug-o-War, they managed to get Goofy unstuck.

"Slightly! Cubby! Nibs! Tootles! Twins!" Peter called into the shadows of the tree. "Get outta bed!" He floated over to what appeared to a bed. "Boy, have I got an adventure for you guys!"

A hefty boy in a bearskin sat up and rubbed his eyes. "It's still too early!" he complained drowsily.

"Yeah!" said two boys in unison. They were identical twins; they were even wearing matched raccoon skins.

"Who're these guys?" asked a boy in a fox suit. "Friends of yours?"

A boy in skunk furs jumped down from his bed. "Are they from the same place as Wendy?"

A boy in a rabbit costume mimicked a polite bow, but added his own little sarcastic comment, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir or madam."

All the boys fell over in fits of laughter.

"All right, Boys!" Peter said, loudly. "Introduce yourselves!"

"Slightly!" said the one in the fox costume.

"Cubby!" the one in the bear suit said.

"Nibs!" The rabbit costumed boy bowed his mock bow again.

"Tootles!" shouted the one in the skunk skins.

"And the Twins!" shouted the brothers in raccoon costumes.

Kairi held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you all."

Suddenly, all six of the Lost Boys fell over and started snoring loudly. Peter laughed. "Guys, come on! There's adventure to be had!" He was about to fly over to the group, when Riku grabbed his arm.

"Wait! The Heartless!" Riku glared around the room, searching for the source of energy he felt.

A tiny raven flew out of its hiding spot behind a curtain and whizzed past Roxas head. Roxas felt sleepy and struggled to keep his eyes open and stay on his feet. Everything went dark.

Sora drew his Keyblade and cut the fleeing Heartless in half. "Got... ya?"

The moment the Keyblade sliced through the bird, a powder flew everywhere.

"What is this stuff?" Donald asked, until he collapsed in a heap near Roxas.

Riku threw Peter backward and got a blast of the powder himself. Desperately, he bit his lip until he tasted blood. "Pan! Go find Selena, Olette, and Naminé!"

Peter stared a few moment, and then grudgingly nodded. "You sure you'll be all right? Sora would kill me if you got hurt?"

Riku laughed drowsily. "Sora can't do much of anything if he's out cold." He bit his lip again, this time feeling some blood dribble down his chin. "Just hurry it up."

With that, Peter soared away.

* * *

**1. **"Every Heart" is a song from Inuyasha. One of my favs, too. 

**2. **This is another line of the English "Every Heart"

**3. **Another one of my favs, it's "Life is like a Boat" from Bleach. That's some of the English lines, but a lot of it is in Japanese. It's good.

**4. **I forgot if Riku saw Peter Pan or not, but I'm too lazy right now to go and check. Lol

**5. **... LONG story why I put this here. I remember some old guy from some stupid show my brother liked always saying "One more thing" and hitting people.

**6. **Fairy Rings are rings of mushrooms. Depending on the source you get the information from, Fairy Rings could be links to the Fairy Realm, have strong Fairy Magic, or surround a little fairy home. There. That's the education of this chapter. XD

**7. **One of the best words in the English language, if you ask me. It sounds so weird!

**8. **The meaning of this is the Red Men have honor and won't double cross you before you speak to the one in charge. Also, I doubt I spelled that right.

**9. **She meant to say, "I was explaining!" What she said was "I was turkey!" ...Now you get why it was so random. Also, I cracked this joke because I have an obsession with turkey. (I love eating turkey. Everyone at my house does.)

**10. **Morose-gloomy, sullen. It was a word for something at school. Hey! These are the most notes I've ever put! Woohoo!

**11. **Lol. That's a song. XD

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I worked hard on it. Also, apparently my computers "Spell-Check" has a grade level checker. Guess what! This is level 3.5 in grade level! XD We ares all geniuses! XD

Word Count? 4,103


	18. Nightmares Return

**Chapter 18: Nightmares Return**

Okay, something I didn't get through very well in the last chapter. I thought I said it, but I didn't. The Keyblade only translates the major language of a world

For example, say... the USA was a world. If Roxas and friends landed there, they'd speak English and only English. No French or Spanish, no matter how commonly spoken it is.

So, yeah. Also, I'm in a slightly sarcastic mood today, since this chapter isn't as funny as some of the others, but... whatever. Enjoy the fic!

* * *

Roxas opened his eyes blearily to the light filtering through the window into his room. Yawning, he rolled over onto his side and huddled more tightly under the warm covers. Then the events came back to him. He had a Keyblade; he was traversing the worlds to stop the Organization XIII from taking over again.

'_Why am I back in my room?'_ he thought. He sprung up like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water in his face. He lifted his sleeve and stared at his bare arm—no brand.

While Roxas's mind worked a mile a minute trying to solve the mystery, Hayner barged in. "Hey! You coming or not? Olette wanted us to meet her and Pence at the Usual Spot ten minutes ago for that picnic!"

Roxas blinked as Hayner disappeared into the hallway again. What was going on? He couldn't possibly have dreamt it all. Deciding the best plan of action was to go along with it for now, Roxas got ready to go.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naminé and Olette had finally reached Riku and the group of unconscious people. While Olette pressed her handkerchief against Riku's bleeding lip, Naminé knelt beside Sora. A few moments later, Naminé's eyes jolted open as if she'd been shocked.

Peter helped steady the frail girl. "Are you all right?"

Naminé nodded slowly and blinked a few times. "I ran into a mental wall," she told Riku. "Someone or some**_THING_** doesn't want me contacting Sora. All I know is that they're all dreaming."

Olette thought for a moment. "Wait! Try Roxas! I mean, you know him better, right?"

After a few seconds of consideration, Naminé agreed and tried the same with Roxas.

* * *

Roxas and Hayner had met up with Olette and Pence and were already on their way to the train station. Taking a deep breath, Roxas took a deep breath and said, "Hey, the other day when I fell of the tower—"

"Don't sweat it," said Hayner, thumping Roxas on the shoulder. "I'm just glad I caught you before you became a pancake!"

Raising an eyebrow, Roxas glanced at Olette. No reaction either. He then decided to bring up a different subject—the dream. "I had a dream. There was a guy with spiky brown hair and big blue eyes."

Pence thought for a minute. "Maybe it was someone you knew from a long time ago! It's awesome that you're remembering stuff!"

Another negative. "There was this girl with red hair too. His girlfriend or something." _'Please let them remember Kairi!'_

"She sounds pretty," Olette commented.

Roxas wanted to scream and rip his hair out. "There were also a bunch of little monsters called Heartless and Nobodies, and then these human-looking Nobodies from a group called Organization XIII."

"I read in a dream book that monsters like that mean that you have insecurities and stuff," Olette said. "Don't worry, Roxas! We're here for ya!"

Sighing, Roxas entered the train station with the others. The question on Roxas's mind was whether they were kidding around, couldn't remember, or if he'd just dreamt everything up.

Roxas hand strayed to his next, where the rune to help him remember was supposed to be. It wasn't. Maybe he had dreamt the whole thing. Maybe...

Something caught his attention. Naminé stood across the tracks, transparent. She opened her mouth and said something, but the sound didn't make it to Roxas. She held out her hand expectantly.

Roxas glanced back at Hayner, Pence, and Olette, who were busy buying tickets for the train. He then turned to Naminé, who was still waiting patiently, though with a frightened expression, and dashed up the stairs. He was about to cross the platform and take Naminé's ghostly hand, when Hayner grabbed his shoulder.

"Dude!" Hayner shouted. "What are you doing! The train—"

Just before the train came through the tunnel, Roxas stared back to where Naminé had been standing. She'd vanished like a mirage. The train roared into view.

"What happened?" Olette inquired, glancing between Roxas's confused expression as he stared through the train windows to Hayner's red-faced anger.

"He tried to jump in front of the train is what!"

Roxas allowed himself to be pushed onto the train as he said, "I thought I saw someone in the tracks. Maybe I spaced out?"

Pence nodded. "Yeah, that had to be what happened. Seriously, Hayner, Roxas's isn't suicidal!"**1**

Hayner grumbled and sat on the plush bench in the train.

* * *

"Are you all right, Naminé?" inquired Riku.

Naminé was holding her forehead and breathing heavily. "I got in, but was forced out when Roxas tried to reach me. It was like running into a brick wall..."

"If you can't make it in, then don't try!" Olette cried worriedly. "We'll find some other way—"

Naminé already had three fingers on Roxas's forehead again. "No, I made it in, but I couldn't tell him anything. I'll try again and see if I can wake him up." She dived into Roxas's dreams again.

* * *

Hayner was keeping a closer eye on Roxas as they ambled through the streets of Sunset Station. Sighing, Roxas wondered how they could have forgotten everything. Maybe he **_HAD_** imagined Naminé in some desperate attempt to believe the dream.

Once again, Naminé appeared. This time, she was standing by one of the houses, not even ten feet away. Determined to reach her this time, he raced toward her outstretched hand.

This time, Olette grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?" she inquired, glancing over to where Roxas had been eyeing.

The tram sped by, and Naminé was gone again.

"I just wanted to get to Sunset Hill. I'm starving," Roxas lied.

They had their picnic as planned and headed back to their secret hangout on top of the clock tower.

Hayner sat next to Roxas to make sure he didn't attempt to jump off or something equally stupid. Roxas didn't care though. By that point, he honestly thought he'd been imagining everything. Sighing, he leaned back against the clock and stared out at the beautiful sunset. Nothing had changed.

He heard a buzzing in his ears, but he ignored it. Then, he heard something.

"_Roxas?"_

Roxas stared around. _'Naminé?'_

"_Good, you can hear me!"_ Naminé's voice cried. _"I was afraid you'd forgotten all bout us."_

'_What's going on? Hayner, Pence, and Olette don't remember—'_

"_Those aren't them. They're dream versions. You have to wake up!"_

'_How do I do that?'_

_"Do something dangerous! You can't die in a dream; it's physically impossible. Roxas, this was caused by a Heartless. You have to—"_

_'Naminé!'_ Roxas called out mentally. Was she okay? What was she about to say?

"Something wrong?" Olette asked, staring at him.

Roxas stood, ignoring the others' frightened gasps. "It was nice being normal for once," he said quietly, "but I'm ready to return to reality." With that, he dived off the building.

He felt the rush of wind through his hair and the whistling in his ears. It was a wonderful feeling he never wanted to relive again the first time he fell, but here he was, doing it again. Everything felt too real. What if Naminé was wrong? What if he'd imagined her voice? He shook his head. No doubting his decision now.**2**

The end didn't come.

Roxas opened his eyes and saw that he'd plunged straight through the brick streets. Now he was someplace dark and cold, surreal and empty. He was floating like in Neverland.

Roxas examined the new place with fear bubbling inside of him. Eyes were everywhere, ice blue and glaring. Vines all led in one direction. There was a lump in his throat, but he ignored it as he followed the vines.

A plant-woman with long leaves for hair was rooted before him. She had vines spread everywhere, each ending with some kind of black crystal. Roxas realized with a sickening lurch in his stomach that each crystal contained a sleeping person. She opened dark red eyes and whispered in a melodious voice, "Why have you awakened from your lovely dream?"

"Are you the Heartless putting everyone to sleep?" Roxas demanded. The lump in his throat seemed to be growing. It was getting difficult to speak.

The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, but that's because the real world is so cruel. People should dream, where it's safe."

"No!" Roxas shouted, drawing his Keyblade. "You're a Heartless, and that means this dream stuff can't be good!"

The woman frowned. "Go back to your dream!" she screeched, the lullaby in her voice gone.

Roxas felt the lump in his throat grow painfully. He coughed and spluttered as he realized what it was. The Heartless had put it there, whatever it was. It was hot, and he started feeling sleepy. It was strange that the burning would make him tired so suddenly. Everything vanished from sight.**3**

But the dream didn't return.

Instead, he stood with both Keyblades drawn, and the giant Heartless screamed. He spun around and saw that every vine was cut and that all the crystals were shattering and the people within disappearing.

The Heartless glared coldly at him before she disintegrated, leaving a tired looking fairy. The fairy glanced up and stared around, the leaves for her hair bouncing slightly as she tilted her head. "Why is the Dreamworld all dark...?" She shrugged and snapped her tiny, fragile-looking fingers. The darkness ebbed away slowly.

Then she turned to Roxas. "Oh! When did you get here? You should be awake!" She flew over to Roxas and tapped his forehead. "Wakie wakie!" she said with a sweet, motherly smile. "Dreams are over for now! Come back soon!"

* * *

Roxas's eyes shot open and he sat up. "What happened exactly?" he asked.

Naminé buried her face in his shirt. "I was afraid you'd never wake up! That you'd never hear me!" she sobbed.

Roxas was about to embrace her back in a comforting hug, but then his throat felt sore. He started coughing. He pushed Naminé away gently. At last, whatever was in his throat came up and fell into his open palm. He was too stunned to speak, but Olette was able to sum up exactly what he was thinking.

"Ew! What is that?" She said, gagging slightly herself.**4**

The thing in his palm looked like an oversized seed that seemed to just be sprouting. Confused, Roxas went to touch the small leaves coming from the top.

They wrapped around his finger. In surprise, he flung it off, sending it toward Riku.

Riku easily ducked it and glanced at it when it had stopped twitching. "It's a Sprout. It's a part of a huge plant Heartless Maleficent designed and then decided wouldn't work. These things grow and take a person's heart eventually. The problem was how to keep someone from getting rid of it before it had a chance to take a heart."

Peter was way ahead of Riku's next thought, though. He pulled out his dagger and split it into itty-bitty pieces. "There. No more 'Sprout.'"

The others started to wake up as well, and, unsurprisingly, each coughed up similar Sprouts. Kairi was the one freaking out the most about having it in her throat, though Pence came pretty close to her hilarious reaction.

"So, is Selena still mad?" Riku inquired.

Olette and Naminé blinked; both were confused by the question. "Oh!" Olette said, hitting her palm with her one hand. "Selena said she wanted an apology from you, Riku, and she won't come back until you do."

Riku ran his fingers through his bangs. "I'll never understand you girls," he groaned. "I'll meet you guys back by that fairy ring with Selena."

Peter shook his head. "Riku, meet us at the Pirate Ship. I have a better idea!" He then cleared his own throat. "Now that we've solved the terrible crisis," he said in a business-like tone, "let's have a bit of fun!" His tone changed back to normal. "Pirate torture!"**5**

All the Lost Boys agreed, along with Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The others, of course, didn't get it.

They all flew to the wooden Pirate Ship, where Hook was on deck.

"Not you scalawags again!" Hook cried. "Get away from me ship!"

Riku joined them with Selena a little later as they pulled out paints and were putting graffiti all over the ship. Not the bad kind, but pink bunny rabbits and similar things. Naminé, being the artist of the group, painted an exact duplicate of the ticking crocodile on request from Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Peter, and the Lost Boys.**6**

As they left, they heard Hook scream "SMEEEEEEEEE!!" at the top of his lungs. Apparently, Naminé did a good job with the fear factor.

* * *

**1. **No, he only almost walked in front of a train. ...Hasn't that happened before...?

**2. **No duh, Sherlock.

**3. **...(sigh) I'm a loser.

**4. **Yeah... Let's torture Olette.

**5. **(sniggers)

**6. **I'd be one to do that, even though I'm a bad artist. XD

Hello everyone! I hope you liked the update! I know it wasn't as funny as some of the others, but... yeah...

Oh! I won a contest with my local library and am having a short story I wrote published in their magazine. I'm also having some song lyrics published (I entered it as poetry, though... Huh.)

Anywho, don't worry about reviewing, since my friend, KuroKagome, has given me a list of things to do instead of reviewing! For those who have read Bah Humbug! chapter 3, you've already read this list. XD

Here is Ze List:

Cook a pack of Ramen  
Drown (Not recommended)  
Draw a quick sketch  
Listen to a song, possibly two  
Laugh really well  
Eat a cookie  
Sweat the petty things (Not recommended)  
Pet the sweaty things (Not recommended)  
Save a life (Recommended )  
Get a glass of milk  
Finish reading a climatic ending to a good story  
Run up and down the stairs few times  
Dream  
Scream  
Sleep  
Make a sandwich  
Use a dictionary  
Have a staring contest (Highly recommended)  
Have a squirt gun fight  
Walk  
Breathe several times (Recommended)  
Pet an animal  
Dance  
Eat a sandwich  
Lose something  
Admit you love someone  
Plan on never telling the someone that you love that you love them (Wheee! Say that ten times fast)  
Get in/avoid a car crash  
Chug a can of coca-cola  
Throw up twelve times (Not recommended)  
Did I mention Sandwiches?  
Hug someone you love.  
Hang up your cell phone and drive  
Avert disaster (Recommended)  
Reconcile  
Take a drunk's keys (Recommended)  
Learn a jig  
Watch a short flash movie  
Call a friend/family member for no reason at all  
Find a better story  
Freak out  
Learn to swear in a foreign language (:-D :-D :-D :-D)  
Clean out your ears  
Take a quick shower  
Enjoy life  
Read this list  
And so many other things


	19. Welcome to Wonderland

**Chapter 19: Welcome to Wonderland**

All right, anyone who watches (or has watched) Final Fantasy Unlimited will know that the chapter name is what Fabula always says at the beginning of the episodes. Just wanted to point that out. XD

Anywho, thank you for all the reviews and everything! I appreciate it, but I have something very solemn to say. I am quitting this site and giving up writing altogether. I feel I am not good enough to do anything for you guys.

Now, before I go, there is one more thing I would like to say:

**_APRIL FOOLS!!_** XD Had ya going there for a minute, didn't I? See ya all later!

* * *

"We need to do something about Roxas's retarded nightmare problem!" Larxene shouted, banging her hands on the Breakfast table in The World that Never Was. Roxas was sitting next to Axel, blushing a deep crimson. "I'm sick of getting all of his stupid dreams during my beauty sleep, as I'm sure the rest of you are, too!"

Marluxia nodded as he munched on his cereal. "Maybe we could just have Zexion zap his brain or something?"

Zexion sighed. "It's a waste of my power. Besides, it's not like I care." He was the only one able block out Roxas's bad dreams.

Roxas apologized again for the trouble he was causing. After all, **_HE_** was the idiot having bad dreams and accidentally sending them to the rest of the Organization through the telepathic link. Everyone gave him a cold glare for saying he was sorry. Nobodies weren't supposed to say they were sorry about things.

Axel leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through his bright red hair. "Maybe we could just give him a roommate or something," he suggested. He was more tired of Larxene's constant complaining than the issue at hand.

"Thank you for volunteering, Axel!" Larxene said, clapping her hands together.

"What?" Axel's head shot up. He stood and banged his hands on the table, shaking all the plates. "I dare you to say that again, Miss Living-Nightlight! Maybe **_YOU_** should be with Roxas!"

The man at the head of the table said in a deep voice, "It's decided. Number Eight, you'll be sharing a room with Number Thirteen from now on."

"Now everyone's against me!" Axel moaned, collapsing back in his chair.

The Nobodies easily ignored Axel, for Demyx had fallen asleep once again and his face fell into his bowl of Corn Flakes.**1**

Axel stood and stormed out of the room. Unsure of what to do, Roxas abandoned his half-eaten plate of eggs and followed. "Um... Sorry," Roxas whispered.

Axel turned and stared at Roxas. "For what? It's my fault for opening my big mouth and Larxene's for being a moron." He frowned. "And one more thing, Number Thirteen: Nobodies don't feel sorry or apologize. Got it memorized?"**2 **

**_THWUMP!_**

Roxas awoke with a start and stared around the Lost Boy's hideout, expecting some sort of danger. The only danger he found was Hayner rolling over again after smacking him in the face with his arm. The little hideaway wasn't meant for more people than the lost boys, let alone teenagers.

Music dragged Roxas's attention away from thinking of small ways to get back at his from friend for waking him up so early. He stumbled out a hole in the tree and searched for the source of the noise.

Selena was sitting nearby, pulling a stick with string across a wooden, stringed instrument. A beautiful sound reverberated from the strings in a soft, joyous melody. Roxas approached and sat next to Selena, who promptly stopped playing.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

Roxas held back a laugh. "Nah, Hayner hit me in the head."

It was Selena's turn to choke back laughter. She plucked the strings on her instrument and turned a few knobs to adjust the pitch. "Violin," she said.

"Huh?"

"I know you were wondering what I was playing," she said, as if reading his mind. "It's called a violin."**3**

Roxas just then realized he'd been staring at the instrument. He glanced away and stared at the horizon. The sky was just starting to turn pink. "I have a question."

"Hn?"

"When I was asleep and Naminé got me to wake up—well, sorta—there was this huge Heartless. I beat it, but I don't know how I did," he wrapped his arms around his knees without realizing it. Everyone knew that it meant he was worried, even if he didn't know he did it all the time.

Frowning, Selena thought for a minute. "Maybe it was Kieran trying to protect you. You know, like a possession with ghosts and stuff. You were falling unconscious because of the Heartless and Kieran decided to take over."

"No," Roxas stated firmly. "It's happened before too, when we were going through Yen Sid's castle! Before Kieran... Anyway it couldn't be because of him."

Selena watched the edges of bright, golden light make its way slowly up the horizon. "Maybe the first time it was Axel's heart shard and this time was Kieran?" She sounded unsure, and she averted her eyes from Roxas's.

"You know how it happened, but you aren't going to tell me, are you?" Roxas asked accusingly. He sighed as Selena nodded. "It seems like you never tell me anything. It's like no one ever does."

"That's not true, Roxas, and you know it," Selena said, smiling sadly. "I may not be able to tell you, but there are other ways of finding out than by asking me."

Roxas glanced back at the horizon. "Just one more question."

"Yes?"

"Why'd you bring Naminé and me back to life?"

Selena shook her head. "Once again, I can't answer that. I wish I could." She stood and stretched. "We should be hitting the road soon."

Roxas stared at her. "Where are we going?"

Selena busied herself with putting her violin in a similarly shaped case. "Varan's asked us to look into something with an enchanter friend of hers." She shrugged as she said, "I don't know what's going on, but she didn't seem all that worried. Still, it might be worth checking out, if only for the fact that it's in Wonderland."

"Wonderland?" he inquired, confused. "What's that?"

"You'll know when we get there," she replied simply. "We'll need to get the others up if we plan on making it there today. It's quite a ways off."

* * *

After waking the others up—which took about twenty minutes—they were off. Tinkerbell decided to help them, so Kairi could now summon the quarrelsome pixie if they ever needed her help. Though Sora seemed to think it a good idea, the others could not see a use to having her help them if they could only use Pixie Dust to fly in Neverland.

Selena pressed a few buttons and sighed. "We'll get to Wonderland a little after dinner. We get to hang out on the ship until we reach there."

Everyone groaned. Donald crossed his arms, tapped his foot, and said, "Can't we just warp there?"

Selena shook her head. "No, sadly. My ship has engines on it that make it go extremely fast and gives it the ability to go through the barriers between the worlds that are reappearing. If there's a barrier, Warp-Gs are useless; only my Light-Gs can get us there in one piece."

"Barriers?" Pence said, tilting his head.

"Between worlds," Selena explained, "there are barriers. The Heartless tore down the barriers when they appeared, thus allowing Gummi Ships to commonly travel. Since Sora sealed Kingdom Hearts a long time ago, the barriers have slowly been rebuilding themselves.

"My ship," she continued, "is designed to break through the thin barriers. The Heartless can get through the barriers easily."

Olette tilted her head. "So, that means once the barriers are back, we can't travel?"

Selena nodded. "Hopefully, we can defeat the Heartless and Nobodies before that happens."

Boredom soon set in during the long wait.

* * *

"Finally!" Hayner cried, stretching.

Goofy looked around. "Gawrsh, this doesn't look like Wonderland..."

"It's part of Wonderland. We need to meet with Varan's friend, and then we can head over there."

The countryside they were walking through was lush and green. Tall grass hemmed the path they were taking. A cottage sat a little ways away.

"This is?" Riku inquired, jabbing a finger toward the small house.

Selena nodded and knocked on the door. "Mr. Caesar! Are you home?"

The door opened of its own accord, and the group stepped inside. Something moved in the shadows. A large croak sounded and a frog hopped up on the table. "I'm glad Varan sent you, ribbit!"

Kairi and Olette screamed. Apparently, neither were fans of amphibians.

"Now, now, let's not have any of that," he said calmly. "I just managed to have a spell backfire and turn me into this froggy form.**4**

"Anyway, I asked for Varan's help because of my poor Wonderland flower!" He hopped over to a pot where a wilted daisy grew. The daisy's blossom lifted slightly, and the group saw a face staring at them, but then it collapsed. "As you can see, she's very sick!"

Hayner crossed his arms. "What are we supposed to do about a dying flower?"

The magician**5 **hopped around and said matter-of-factly, "Well, I want you to go to Wonderland and see what's going on!"

"How?" Roxas inquired.

"There should be a link somewhere."

Everyone sighed. The magician shooed them away right after he had given them their assignment.

"So," Kairi said, "we have to find a way into Wonderland, and he doesn't know where we need to go. Hopefully everyone here isn't as clueless."

Just then, a girl in a blue dress and a white apron ran past, her blonde hair being blown back by the wind. She stopped and turned to stare at Sora. "Sora!" she said with a bright grin. "I am so glad to see you!"

"You... are?" Sora asked. Apparently, this couldn't be good.

"Yes!" The girl grabbed Sora's hands. "You remember the White rabbit, correct?" When Sora nodded, she continued, "Well, you see, Mr. White Rabbit's trapped here because the rabbit hole I fell down that one time has collapsed. We need to find a new way there, but I don't know how to find it!"

Donald tilted his head, "White rabbit? You mean that one that works for that ugly whale of a queen?"**6**

A white rabbit in a waste coat carrying a watch dashed down the road, catching his breath when he reached where the girl was. "Miss Alice, I am very late! Please," he breathed, "don't talk and help me find a way home!"

Olette pulled out her laptop and turned it on. "Maybe Varan can help us..."

The screen brightened and a video box of Varan appeared. She turned around and smiled. "So, did you see my friend, Caesar?"

"Yes," Olette replied, "but the problem is, we can't find a way to Wonderland. The rabbit hole Alice used doesn't exist anymore."

Varan looked perplexed. "Rabbit hole? Why not use a looking glass? Just say the words 'I wish I could go to a world opposite this' while looking into it, and it should pull you through.

"Anyway, I have something I need to do right now. Talk to you guys later!" The screen went dark.

"Anyone have a mirror?" Riku asked, glancing around the group. Everyone shook their head, even Olette, the fashion diva, and Kairi. Then they all turned to the rabbit, whose watch had a back so well polished, it reflected everything.

"It'll have to do," Sora said, snatching it away. He stood in front of the group so that everyone's reflection was on the watch. "I wish I could go to a world opposite this," he stated.

The scene around them melted. When everything became solid, they were in a huge room filled to bursting with mirrors. The one closest didn't reflect them, but the place they had just been. That scene soon melted and reflected what it should have.

"What is this place?" Hayner asked no one in particular. He glanced at one mirror and started laughing.

"What?" Pence stared in the mirror and started laughing too.

It did reflect them, but a very different version. Their mirrored selves were not human, but animals. Hayner was a dog and Pence a llama.**7**

Olette was having an extremely good time looking into a mirror that apparently reflected her as a famous clothes designer, but no one saw anything but their usual reflection when they stood next to her.**8**

Roxas noticed a black cloth lying next to one full-length mirror and picked it up. He glanced into that mirror and lost his balance. Goofy grabbed his arm. "Gawrsh, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Roxas replied with a grin. Except it wasn't Roxas.

Roxas was staring at the scene from within the mirror, shocked. _'What's going on?'_ he thought as he pounded on the glass window before him.

The other Roxas smiled at the others and as the left, grinned evilly at the real Roxas.

"Hey! Don't leave me! GUYS!!" the real Roxas cried, still desperately bashing the window.

"Give it up," came a bored voice. Roxas spun around to see Marluxia sitting on the ground. "We can't get out of here."

Roxas sent a look cold enough at Marluxia to make even Vexen shiver. "There's no way I'm giving up. Not if you're here." He attempted to draw his Keyblades, but nothing happened. "What the—?!"

Marluxia stood. "I told you: it's no use. We're trapped here. I can't even use a dark portal."

The color drained from Roxas's face. "We're really stuck here?"

"Are you deaf or something?!" Marluxia ruffled his hair in frustration. "We're trapped here, and I don't even know why!"

Roxas's knees buckled in shock. _'Oh joy,'_ he thought anxiously, _'I'm not only stuck here with Marluxia, but there's no possible way out.' _

Meanwhile, the others were already out of the hall of mirrors and in a large, boxed courtyard. The Rabbit ran forward and dashed to the Queen of Hearts. "Your Majesty, I—"

"No excuses!" the queen snapped. "Just start the trial!"

"Yes, You Majesty!" He heaved. "Court is now in session! Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts presiding!"

"Oh no, not again!" Alice cried. "That poor woman!"

Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy burst out laughing. Even Naminé was giggling. "That's not a woman," Sora said when he could breath again. Tears were in Sora's eyes, he was laughing so hard. "That's Marluxia, the idiot!"**9**

Alice blinked, looked back at Marluxia, and then back at Sora. "She's a he? Now I have seen everything..."

Marluxia was looking around helplessly like a rabbit caught in a trap. He just barely noticed when the Queen yelled, "Off with his head!"

Sighing, Sora went up behind Marluxia. "Your Majesty!" he called. When the fat queen's attention fell on Sora, he continued, "What did the moron do, exactly?"

The Queen gleefully clapped her hands together. "Well, he made all the flowers in the Lotus Forest start attacking passerby!"

"Right," Hayner said doubtfully, "and I eat paste."

"Actually," Naminé whispered to them, "Marluxia can control plants, especially flowers."

Marluxia glanced pleadingly from face to face. Selena stepped forward. "You're Majesty, are you sure this person is the culprit?" She made eye contact with him and then said, "Maybe we can fix what's happening in the forest."

The Queen tapped her fan impatiently. "Nonsense, I'd like to see you try."

Marluxia turned back to the Queen of Hearts. "Your Majesty, I really haven't done anything wrong. I beg of you, please!"

The Queen glared coldly. "Fine. Do as you wish, but if the flowers do not stop, it will be off with **_ALL_** of your heads."

Alice swallowed hard and held her throat. "I don't want to lose my head," she whispered.

"You won't lose your head!" Sora laughed. "We'll figure it out."

The group followed Marluxia as he scrambled into the Lotus Forest. As soon as the lotuses came into view, Riku grabbed Marluxia's shoulder. "What is going on here, exactly, flower boy?"

Marluxia shivered and said, "I honestly don't know what he did." He glanced at his hand. "I don't know how to fix what the real Marluxia did."

"Real Marluxia?" Kairi tilted her head in confusion. "Then what are you?"

The false Marluxia blinked. "I'm his reflection from the Cursed Mirror in that Hall of Mirrors," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm his exact opposite. I can't even summon his scythe, though I am the part that has it now."

"What did the mirror look like?" inquired Olette.

Marluxia thought hard. "It was covered in a black cloth, but I was dragged away by those nasty Card Soldiers before I could cover it back up or switch back."

"I remember!" Hayner cried out. "Roxas looked into... that... mirror..."

Everyone turned and stared at Roxas. He had been abnormally silent.

Roxas stared back and then said dully, "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out. I'm amazed by your stupidity."

Pence took a step back. "Where's the real Roxas?"

"In that mirror," was the only response. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm leaving."

Marluxia grabbed Roxas's arm. "Wait! We are just reflections! We have to return sometime!"

"Make me, pansy," Roxas sneered back. He pulled his arm from Marluxia's grasp and ran away, far into the Lotus Forest.

Naminé turned to Selena. "What do we do now?" she asked. "Do we go after him?"

But Selena only shook her head. "I don't know. I really don't know."

"I know!" Marluxia shouted. "We have to somehow trick Roxas to look into the mirror. That way, they'll switch back, and then I'll switch back as well." He smiled. "After all, you have to help the real Marluxia get his heart back, right? It won't work to give me his heart shard."

"But how do we get him to look into the mirror without us getting switched?" asked Kairi.

"You just don't look into the mirror." Marluxia signaled for them to follow.

* * *

The real Roxas was sitting in front of the mirror, waiting for someone to come back. He held his knees and sat, his eyes transfixed on the shimmering surface of the mirror. Marluxia was snoozing from his seat on a giant toadstool.

From the other side, Naminé leaned against the mirror's surface. "Roxas, can you hear me?" she asked.

Roxas ran up to the window. "Yes! Naminé! Man, am I glad you're here!" He felt warm tears roll down his cheeks. "How do I get back to you guys?"

Marluxia tapped him on the shoulder. "You're forgetting someone, aren't you?"

"So Marluxia is there with you?" Naminé asked, still not facing them. "I'm sorry, Roxas, but if we look into the mirror, we will be trapped in there as well. Don't worry, though, we have a plan on getting you out of that place."

"So," the real Marluxia said with a grin, "what's the plan?"

* * *

The fake Roxas was wandering around the empty tea party garden, whistling an upbeat tune. He paused as he was about to leave. "You can come out of hiding. I know your there," he called to the bushes.

Marluxia stepped out from his hiding place. "You have to go back; we both do."

The fake Roxas grinned. "Make me."

He grinned back. "Now!"

The fake Roxas spun around and stared straight into the real Roxas's eyes through the mirror. He tried to shield his eyes, but it was too late. He fell backward, and Naminé caught him.

"Welcome back, Roxas," she said with a smile as the real Roxas opened his eyes. "Are you all right."

"Aren't you forgetting about someone?" Marluxia shouted from the other sighed of the mirror. "Hurry up and let me out!"

Olette smiled, without looking at the real thing. "One thing first! Selena?"

Selena reached into her bag and pulled out a heart glowing pink with flower petals swirled around within it.

"Oh no! I don't want that stupid thing!" Marluxia shouted from within the looking glass. "Throw it away now!"

The false Marluxia stepped right in front of the glass and smiled. "I don't know why you hate them so much," he said before he fell.

The real Marluxia spun around to run from them, but Hayner stuck out his foot, making the Nobody tripped. He flipped over and started crawling away on his back. "Leave me alone!"

Selena knelt down and tossed the heart gently to Marluxia. It sunk into Marluxia's chest.

"You—" Marluxia hissed, gripping his chest. "I don't need a heart. Get rid of it **_NOW_**!"

Sora grinned. "Not a chance."

Marluxia stood, but collapsed again. Tears were forming in his eyes, and he was breathing heavily.

A black portal appeared, and Axel stepped out. "Oh, so you beat Marluxia," he said cheerily. "Congrats."

"You—you traitor!" Marluxia cried. "You were on their side to begin with!"

Axel smiled. "Looks like you finally figured it out. You have a heart now, so you aren't part of the Organization anymore, got it memorized?"

"This is what happened to Zexion, isn't it?" inquired Marluxia.

"I'll take you to Traverse Town," he said calmly, "or Radiant Garden. Your choice."

Marluxia stood up, this time able to keep his balance. "Whatever. Let's just get out of here."

Marluxia stepped through the portal. Just before Axel followed, he turned and said, "Not sure how you guys did it, but keep up the good work."

Roxas nodded. "Don't get killed," he replied.

Axel grinned and vanished into his portal.

"So what now?" Alice asked.

"You go home," Riku said, "and we leave."

Alice smiled and dashed back to the Hall of Mirrors.

"That's our cue to leave too," added Donald.

And with that, they boarded the Gummi Ship.

* * *

**1. **I have a piece of Fan art for KH2 where Demyx falls asleep at the breakfast table and his face lands in a bowl of Corn Flakes.

**2. **The random memory was just to show that Axel and Roxas were starting to become friends. NOTHING MORE!! Got it memorized?

**3. **I play the violin. Random fact of for the day.

**4. **I seem to have a thing for frogs. Remember Frog Man's mention in Chapter 13?

**5. **In this fic, magic-users are called Magicians. Just a reminder.

**6. **If you haven't read "What Really Happened as a Result of Sugar," you won't get the reference. Andrea regularly refers to the Queen of Hearts as a whale.

7. That was random... I REALLY shouldn't be watching the llama song as much...

**8. **Reference to the mirror in the first Harry Potter book.

**9. **Hail to the ongoing gags. XD

Sorry if it sounds like I didn't put much thought into the ending of this chapter. I was just SO happy to finish this chapter and update that I hurried up. XD Thanks for reading!

* * *

* * *


	20. Believe

**Chapter 20: Believe**

Hey! It's been a while, huh? I've been really busy recently with my dance recital (which is now over). I got one of the lead roles! (all cheer)

Here's the chapter!

* * *

"So, where are we going now?" Hayner asked. They'd spent all night on the Gummi Ship trying to find somewhere to go to. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had spent most of the time arguing between themselves about where the next stop should be.

"How about someplace most of us haven't been to?" Olette suggested. "I vote someplace with snow!"

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Why snow?"

Olette shrugged. "I just feel like going someplace cold, after all the warm places we've been to."

"Gawrsh, then we should go to Halloween Town," Goofy suggested. "We could all head over to Christmas Town and say Howdy-do to Santa."

"Who's Santa?" both Naminé and Roxas inquired at the same time. They looked at each other, expecting the other to have some sort of idea what their friend was talking about.

"You don't know who Santa Claus is?!" Pence said, shocked. "He's only the guy who gives good boys and girls presents every year on Christmas!"

Naminé said quietly, "Nobodies don't celebrate holidays. Even if we did, do you think Santa would visit us after everything the Organization has done?"

Selena laughed. "Don't worry, Naminé. Santa is pretty forgiving. We'll stop at Christmas Town," she added to Sora.

"There's no such thing as Santa," Riku commented. Everyone stared at him, especially Sora.

"No Santa? Riku! I saw him myself! I saved him from that weirdo sack of bugs, Oogie Boogie!" Sora said, annoyed. "Trust me, Riku, he exists, and I'll prove it!"

Kairi called, "Is that where we're headed?"

Selena glanced at where Kairi was pointing out of the Gummi Ship. "Yes, that's Halloween Town. Our stop is on the snowy part. Get ready for landing!"

* * *

Next thing Roxas knew, he was standing knee-deep in cold, fluffy snow. "Woah! Look at me!" he said, surprised. His clothes had transformed into red and green coat and pants, and he had a bright red hat on his head. He was wearing green mittens and black boots. Everything was lined in a white fur, so he only felt the cold on his face.

"What's with the outfit change?" Riku asked. He was wearing all black, with black wings on his back and fake fangs sticking out of his mouth.

"Meow! I couldn't have you looking normal in a world filled with holidays, now could I?" Selena pointed out. "Besides, you'd freeze here if it weren't for my magic." She had large black cat ears on her head, along with a furry black tail. A large red bow was tied around her next with a jingling bell tied in front like a collar. She had large cat-paw gloves and boots, and she wore a furry black coat. "We shouldn't look human, since nothing else here is."

"You just wanted to dress us up," Hayner accused her. He was wearing a white and green striped cap and had long ears like an elf. His clothes were also candy-cane patterned.

"Why'd I end up as a teddy bear?" Pence asked. He was in a brown teddy bear suit, complete with a hood that had button eyes sewn in.**1** "I feel stupid."

Olette was laughing like mad. "I think it's cute. Besides, you're probably the warmest out of all of us!" She was wearing a red coat that flared out as a skirt lined with white fur and had red leggings. Her black boots came up to her knees. Instead of the hat that was on Roxas's head, she had white earmuffs and little green streamers coming down from the band.

"You just like the outfit," Kairi said. "Of course, mine's cool too." Hers was a long black dress with a sharp, pointed hat.

"Naminé! You're so cute!" Olette cried, glomping their friend. Shy Naminé was in all white with lace on the bottom of the dress, around the neckline, and on the bottom of the long sleeves. On her back were two large, white wings and a halo on a wire was above her head.**2** "You're like that angel Grandma puts on top her tree every year!"

Sora was wearing black and white and reminded Roxas of a vampire. Donald was completely wrapped in bandages except for his beak and feet. The one place that wasn't wrapped on his body was invisible. Goofy looked like Goofy zombiefied, except for a pumpkin tipping his nose.**3**

Roxas stared out at the town scene in front of him. A large workshop was farthest away. He pointed. "What's that?"

"Santa's workshop," Sora replied. Riku rolled his eyes. "Come on!" He grabbed Riku's arm and raced down the hill. Sora tripped, and he and Riku rolled down half the hill.

Everyone laughed and followed. Riku and Sora both looked like a mass of white snow when the group finally caught up with them.

"Sora," Riku warned, "never do that again, or I'll be forced to do something so bad, I haven't even thought of it yet."

At this, Sora chuckled. "Riku, you used that threat when we were little. I wasn't afraid then, and I'm not afraid now!"

"So, do we knock?" Hayner inquired impatiently.

Donald just pushed past and waddled into the warm light of the hallway. "Santa!" he called in.

"Ah, Donald, it's good to see you again. Oh! Selena as well!" The fat man in the chair smiled. "Tell Varan the back room is working perfectly."

"Sure Santa," Selena replied. She gestured for the others to come in, since Sora, Donald, and Goofy were already inside.

"Santa!" Olette said happily. "I can't believe I get to meet the real Santa and not a mall fake!"

Santa Claus laughed and picked up his list. "I know the questions are coming. Olette, you're on the good list, as are you Kairi and Pence." They three gave each other high fives. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy are fine." The three grinned. "But Hayner..." Santa clucked his tongue sadly. "You told everyone you didn't believe in Santa when you were in First Grade. How unfortunate."

"That was a lie!" Hayner said quickly. "I did believe! I still do!"

Santa laughed. "True, but you're not getting those presents you missed out on." He stifled another giggle at Hayner's horrified face. "You'll get presents this year, though, with how helpful you've been being. You've made up for it."

"YAHOO!!" Hayner jumped up and down happily.

This time, Santa glanced over Roxas and Naminé. "And who might you two be?" he inquired.

"They probably aren't on you're list, since they were Nobodies before," Selena said calmly. "Roxas and Naminé."

Santa picked up a quill and scribbled their names on the list he was holding. "I know about those nasty Nobodies. Still, since you're no longer part of the Organization, I can't hold that against you all. There," he put down the quill, "you're both on the good list. Don't do anything to change my mind now."

Sora pushed Riku up. "See Riku? Santa is real!"

Riku stared blankly at the chair, then at Sora. "Is this some kind of joke? No one's in the chair. You're talking to yourselves. Find me when you guys stop being delusional." He walked out of the room into the snow outside.

They all looked at Santa, the closed door, and then back at Santa. Santa was there. What was Riku talking about?

"He hasn't believed in me for a long time," Santa explained. "I don't mean that he told everyone he didn't believe—I mean honestly didn't believe. After a certain point, I become invisible to those who don't believe in the slightest. Eventually, he'll be unable to believe in me ever again."

"That's bad?" Pence replied. "I know a bunch of people who don't believe in Santa."

"I'm afraid I'm just a figure head," said Santa. "I'm the 'Spirit of Christmas.' As long as people believe in Christmas, they can always believe in 'Santa Claus' once again. Riku, on the other hand, has stopped not only believing in me, but in Christmas as well."

"Is there a way to get him believing again?" Naminé inquired quietly.

Santa nodded. "It's up to him, but we can try to push him in the right direction." He stood and walked over to a door. They followed him through it, finding themselves in a large workshop with elves running around like chickens with their heads chopped off. One tripped, and colorfully wrapped packages flew everywhere.

Roxas poked Hayner's shoulder. "What're all the boxes for?" he whispered.

"They're presents," Hayner replied. "Santa gives 'em to you on Christmas if you've been good. People give them to each other, too."

The elf bowed quickly and apologetically to Santa, then stacked the presents haphazardly as she stumbled away. She wasn't the only one carrying too much to handle. Many of the elves had armloads of bright boxes.

Santa paused in front of a huge door and knocked. It swung open, revealing a large warehouse. A disgruntled elf was sitting at the desk, typing away at a computer. A stuffed cat lounged on top, its button eyes watching him.**4** He hardly noticed that the large group walked in.

"Gimly,"**5** Santa said, "I need the present that was supposed to go to Riku on Destiny Islands."

The elf looked up and grimaced. "Of course you do." He typed on his computer, stood, and growled, "Wait here. I'll get it."

"Oh, and Sora from Destiny Islands as well, if you could," Santa added.

The elf grumbled to himself but didn't argue with Santa. He walked over to a rotating blue sphere surrounded by four gold bars and tipped on the poles by more gold shapes.**6** He vanished and moments later reappeared with two boxes. He threw both roughly to Santa, who caught them easily.

Sora eagerly tore his present open and pulled out a pirate hat and eye patch. "Sweet!" He put both on and started imitating a pirate.

Kairi giggled. "I remember you were all upset when you didn't get that pirate costume when we were what, six?"

Donald tapped his foot impatiently. "So you DID want to be a pirate in Port Royal!"

Santa handed the other box to Selena. "This is the present supposed to go to Riku. You should give it to him."

Selena gingerly took the box and brushed off some of the dust that had layered on for years. "All right, Mr. Claus." She went to the door and paused. "I'll tell Varan that the infinite store room is working for you." She shut the door behind her.

Hayner signaled for the others to follow, which they did. They stopped at Yuletide Hill and hid behind a tree with a pumpkin hanging from it.

Riku was sitting on the edge of the hill, staring off into the distance. Selena approached and handed him the box. "What's this?" he asked, looking at it.

"A present from Santa," Selena replied without looking at him. She was watching the point on the horizon Riku was looking at. "He couldn't give it to you himself, so he asked me to delivery it."

"Santa doesn't exist," Riku replied, looking at her coldly. Selena placed her eyes on Riku with a disappointed stare, forcing him to look back at the box. Feigning curiosity, he untied the bow on the present and lifted the lid. He almost dropped the box.

"What'd he get?" Olette whispered, standing on tiptoe to get a good angle on the box. "I can't see it!"

They didn't have to wait. Riku lifted a small frame from the box that contained a photo. Roxas could just barely make out a tall man with dark hair, a smiling woman with silver hair, and a small boy with a hundred-watt grin. "This is..." Riku muttered, surprised.

Selena reached in the box and pulled out a yellowing piece of paper. Riku took it and read out loud, "I am sorry, Riku, but I can't help your mother. All I can do is give you something to remember her by when she's gone..." His voice broke. His shoulders shook as he sobbed.

Selena touched his forearm gently, and despite her surprise, didn't pull away when he buried his face in her fur coat. "Riku..." she whispered. "It's all right. I'm sure," she was choosing her words carefully, "you're mother is watching over you."

A black portal appeared behind Roxas. Surprised, the eavesdroppers scurried out of hiding. Riku jumped up, as did Selena.

From the portal stepped a tall man with black hair and sideburns. He grinned darkly at Roxas. "Well, well, if it isn't the little traitor," he said with a slight accent. "What's with that glare?" he asked calmly, indicating Sora's cold look beneath his new pirate hat. "I only wanted to give a present, being in Christmas Town an all."

Naminé inched away. "Xaldin, what do you want? Nobodies don't celebrate any holidays..."

Xaldin smiled. "I guess I got into the spirit of things." He tossed a package wrapped in dark paper to Roxas, who caught it. He then moved so quickly he vanished and grabbed Naminé's arm. "If you want to see her again, meet me tomorrow in the forest!" With that, they both vanished.

"Naminé!" Roxas shouted. He froze. The box he was holding was ticking.

"A bomb!" Pence shouted.

Riku snatched it away from Roxas and was about to throw it as far as he could when _**KABOOM**_. It wasn't quite what they were expecting. Instead of a huge explosion, it just released a ton of smoke, covering Riku entirely. Coughing could be heard within the smokescreen.

When the smoke cleared, everyone could only stare at Riku. In the snow sat Riku, but instead of the vampire costume he'd worn before, he wore a yellow sleeveless shirt and blue shorts. His hair was much shorter, as was the rest of him. It was as if he'd shrunk.

He stared back. "What? What're you guys lookin' at?" He gasped. "My voice! Why does it sound like this?!" He looked at the rest of him. "What's going on?!"**7**

Sora bent over to get a better look at Riku. "Woah, you shrunk."

"Make one comment, Sora, and I kick your butt," was Riku's angry reply. He turned to Selena. "What happened exactly?" The irritation hadn't yet disappeared from his voice.

"My guess would be a time spell..." she said quietly. She pulled off her furry coat and put it around Riku. She was wearing a black gymnast outfit underneath. "Let's get back to Santa's workshop before Riku here freezes."

"What about Naminé?" Roxas demanded.

"We'll get her back tomorrow in the forest," Selena replied. "Xaldin won't hurt her until he knows we're willing to make a trade." She took Riku's small hand. "It's cold out here. Let's get inside."

"It's not cold, though," Goofy pointed out.

Donald hit Goofy with his wand. "You big palooka! The magic's keeping us warm! Riku's not in a costume, so he's freezing!"

"But, uh... He's wearing Selena's coat."

"THE SPELLS NOT ON HIM!! IT DOESN'T MATTER!!" Donald shouted.

Kairi nodded. "Let's get out of the snow, shall we?"

* * *

"Here you go," said an elf. He handed Riku a cup of hot chocolate and put a blanket around him. He was in Santa's chair by the fire, shivering. Santa was somewhere in the workshop fixing some broken machinery, so the elves were on break until further notice.

Olette was messing with the laptop. The screen lit up and Varan's face appeared. "What can I do for you guys?" Varan inquired.

"Well," Olette started. She moved out of the way so Riku was in plain site.

Varan covered her mouth to hide her giggles. "That's a time spell, if a weak one. It seems designed to throw a person back a year or two, not ten," she explained. "Still, it's powerful enough that it won't wear off on its own. You'll have to come back here when you get the chance, and I'll get rid of it." She paused, then added, "The spell also affects a person's personality. The person reverts back the way they acted at that particular age."

"Meaning," Sora said, "Riku's gonna be a whiny brat?"

"I WAS NOT WHINY OR A BRAT!!" Riku snapped. "That was you!"

"Oh yeah!"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "So, Varan, the spell was originally aimed at Roxas, but why would the Organization was to use that on him?"

After a moment's thought, Varan replied, "The spell rewinds time for the person to the point they first encountered a powerful darkness. For Roxas, that would have been when he was a Nobody; for Riku, that was when he six, apparently."

"But that can't be right!" Donald asked impatiently. "He joined the Heartless when he was fifteen!"

Pence sighed. "How many times do we have to go over this? The Heartless are evil. Light can be evil, while darkness can be good. Don't forget, I have a dark heart too!"

"Thank you, Pence," Varan said, a twitching smile plastered falsely on her face. "I was afraid I'd have to correct him, and I can be a violent teacher at times."

"Still, how'd he bump into darkness?" Hayner asked.

"The door!" Riku said suddenly. "Sora, remember when we were kids and we went into the cave 'cause you thought there was a monster?" Sora nodded. "When we left, I stayed behind 'cause I saw the Keyhole!"

"That would make sense," Roxas said. "Keyhole's contain light and darkness."

"How do you know that?" Olette inquired.

Roxas blinked. "I don't know..."

"Probably picked it up from the Organization at one point, ahyuck," Goofy said calmly.

Santa Claus entered the room. "It is getting late. Maybe you should stay here the night."

Selena nodded. "That's probably the best idea right now." She turned to the others. "Don't worry about Naminé. She'll be fine until tomorrow."

Riku hopped out of the chair. "Where are we supposed to sleep?" he asked.

"There are guest rooms upstairs," one of Santa's elves said. He gestured for them to follow.

"But Riku can't sleep without Balto," Sora teased.**8**

Riku glared. "I'll be fine without that stuffed wolf. He's been in my closet for years. Besides, who's the one with the stuffed dragon named Mr. Scales?"**9**

"You still have Mr. Scales?" Kairi asked Sora.

"I bet you still have Spot the Cheetah!" Sora accused.**10**

"Yes I do," Kairi said with a smile. "She's on my bed."

Defeated, Sora turned back to Riku, and they had a good time bickering over childhood habits. The others joined in, except for Roxas. He felt left out, since he was a Nobody before, not a regular kid.

Hayner grinned. "Sorry man, forgot," he said, referring to what was obviously on Roxas's mind. "Let's go to sleep. I'm exhausted."

Roxas nodded.

* * *

**1. **I seem to give Pence the weirdest costumes. XD Sorry Pence fans (though, fans might want to see him in a bear suit...)

**2. **She's supposed to be like one of those angels you put on top of Christmas trees.

**3. **Simply the Halloween Town costumes. Nothing special.

**4. **If anyone has ever gotten the Megatokyo comic books (they're pretty funny), the writer (Piro) types on a computer with a stuffed cat sitting on top.

**5. **My brother told me that Gimly is the angry dwarf from Lord of the Rings (I've never actually read the series, so I'm going with what he tells me)

**6. **It's a warp point in dot Hack GU. Don't know what that game is? Go get it! It's awesome (though, I'd suggest getting the first dot Hack series that has Kite. They make a bunch of references.)

**7. **Hee hee, midget Riku.

**8. **Yes, a reference to the movies.

**9. **I've never had a stuffed dragon, but if I did, I'd have named it Mr. Scales. XD

**10. **Same with Spot.

Hope you liked the chapter! That's pretty much all I have to say today. Oh, and it took me two weeks to write this, so I hope you guys liked it!


	21. Race the Wind

**Chapter 21: Race the Wind**

Hi people! Here's the update!

* * *

A muffled sobbing woke Roxas. According to the cuckoo clock on the wall, it was a little after midnight.

The source of the crying was Riku, who was muttering in his sleep. "Mama..." Riku whispered. He was hugging the stuffed wolf with its tongue hanging out that Santa had given him and sucked on his thumb unconsciously. "Don't die..." he sobbed. "Mom!" He sat up suddenly and stared around the dark room. "Just a dream..." he whispered, back to his old self.

"Are you all right, Riku?" Roxas inquired. The guestroom was more of a hall with beds in it, so all the guys were in the same room. All the others didn't stir.

"Just a nightmare," Riku replied.

"What happened to your mom? I know she died, but how?"

Riku hugged the stuffed wolf closer. "Tuberculosis, or was it pneumonia...? I don't remember, but she was really sick for a long time. She always pretended she was fine, but one day she fainted and was rushed to the hospital. Mom got really bad right before Christmas, so I sent Santa a letter asking him to make her better, and he wouldn't have had to give me presents for the next fifty-gazillion years." Pearly tears rolled down his cheeks.**1**

"Wakka told me after that Santa didn't exist, and I believed him, so I didn't get a present. Then, Mom died." Riku yawned. "Mom went to the hospital just after Kairi came to the island, too, so all three of us were really upset." He lay back down, yawning again. "I had to stay with Sora a lot after that, so we were practically brothers."

"'Night," Roxas said, but knew Riku was already out cold. He stared up at the ceiling for a short time before he too fell asleep again.

* * *

Roxas was staring out the window at something white falling. He'd slept in, so Axel was already gone and unavailable to ask what the cold white was. Deciding to take a closer look, Roxas tugged on his black coat that was still new to him, even after the two months of wearing the uniform, and rushed outside.

The cold stung his face, but the coat and black gloves kept him warm enough. He picked up the powdery white substance from the ground, where it was piling up. After staring at it for a short time, he threw it in the air, where it broke apart and sparkled as it fell.

He did this a few times before starting to run around and play with the white in general. He didn't know how silly or childish he looked, being fourteen and throwing around snow as if he were five—he hardly knew how silly he looked doing half the things he did.

Something black with flaming red hair in the gentle falling white caught Roxas's attention. "Axel!" Roxas called. "Axel! Over here!"

Axel sighed and shuffled over through the deep drifts. "What are you doing?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head and brushed some of the white from Roxas's hair. "You're going to get frost bite on your ears or something if you don't keep your hood up," he said, tugging Roxas's hood up. "Oh no, I'm turning into Lexaeus," he groaned. Besides Marluxia, Lexaeus was the only really responsible one in the Organization when it came to commonsense, thus earning him the respect—or disrespect—of being told "yes mother" whenever he reminded the more annoying members of Organization XIII something simple.**2** Marluxia tended to think a little more, but unlike Lexaeus, he was easily distracted at times.

Roxas tilted his head, confused. "Frost bite? What's that? And why won't you get it? Your hood's not up!"

The white flakes were melting before they even touched Axel's hair. "Frost bite is something you don't want. I can't get it because I can melt the snow and keep myself from freezing. You can't, since you can't control fire or heat, got it memorized?"

Roxas looked at the glittering white in his hands. "So this is snow?" he asked, throwing the powder into the air.

Axel scooped up a handful and started shaping it in his hands. "You're not throwing it right, you know," he commented. He finished packing the snow. "You throw it like this!" With a smirk, he tossed the snowball at Roxas and hit him in the chest.

Annoyed, Roxas did the same, and a snowball fight broke out. Eventually, Roxas's fingers went numb, and they had to stop for a quick break. Axel's pyro-abilities came in handy warming them both up again.

"Well, that was fun," Axel commented. He stared piling snow up around them like a wall. "This'll be even better!"

Roxas glanced at his friend. "What are you—?" Axel gestured for silence.

Out of the skyscraper came Vexen, a skip in his step. He paused and caught a few snowflakes on his black glove. "Ah, snow," he said contentedly, "a perfect example of radial symmetry in crystallized water."**3**

"I'll show you crystallized water!" Axel shouted, throwing a rather large snowball at Vexen, pounding the scientist in the face.

Vexen wiped the snow away and glared. "You're going to pay, you wretched—!" he shouted, but was interrupted by another face-full of snow. This time, instead of talking, he threw a snowball of his own.

Axel ducked, and it hit Xaldin ten feet away. "That could have killed me!" Axel shouted at Vexen.

Xaldin threw a snowball at Vexen, missing and hitting Zexion. This continued, until twelve of the thirteen members of Organization XIII were involved. The Superior was too busy to be bothered.

Teams were arranged. Roxas, Axel, Marluxia, Demyx, Larxene, and Lexaeus were on one team, while Xaldin, Vexen, Zexion, and three other members Roxas couldn't remember were on the other. The snowball fight that ensued was more of a war, and by the end, everyone was exhausted.

Vexen's team stood, brushed themselves off, and left. Larxene was the first to disappear from Roxas's team, with Lexaeus following soon after. Marluxia hung out for a few minutes, only to be taunted by Axel about his obsession with snow gear. Roxas had to laugh too.

Marluxia was wearing bright pink, fluffy earmuffs, a pale pink scarf and mittens to match. Instead of the black boots that were usually worn by Organization members, he wore hot pink snow boots with little pom-poms dangling from the sides. His excuse: "I'm not a fan of the cold. All my plants are tropical, so my room's always hot."

Snowmen were built throughout the streets. After Marluxia went inside, Demyx and Axel started using their powers to make ice sculptures. Roxas grinned as he built another snowman, hoping that the fun would last forever.

* * *

Pale sunlight filtered through a window onto Roxas's face, waking him from his slumber. Riku was still out cold, as was Pence. Everyone else was up.

"Morning, Roxas!" Olette said, but her voice was weak. "We'll get Naminé back, don't worry." She seemed to be trying to convince herself more than Roxas.

Goofy stood up. "We have to get to the forest, and quick!"

The hike through the deep snow was difficult, especially for Riku, but they managed to reach a tree with a pumpkin ornament dangling from its branches. Sora touched it, and vanished, as did Donald and Goofy. Everyone followed suit.

Next thing Roxas knew, he was stepping out of a door that was shaped like an evergreen tree. The place around him was much different then Christmas Town. The ground wasn't covered in snow but littered in dead leaves. Instead of thick firs, the trees were bare and reminded Roxas of skeletons. Unlike the bright and cheery town they'd just been in, this place was dark and frightening.

Xaldin stepped out from behind one of the grotesque trees. "I was wondering when you'd come," he said.

"Where's Naminé?" Roxas shouted, drawing his Keyblades.

Xaldin seemed surprised by Roxas and even more surprised by Riku's transformation. "I see my booby-trapped present didn't do what it was supposed to." He shrugged and tugged a rope.

Naminé was pulled out from behind the tree. The rope bound her arms to her sides, and a bandana was tied over her mouth to keep her from talking. She looked pleadingly at Roxas.

Sora drew his Keyblades as well. "Let her go!"

Xaldin waved his arm, and half several lances surrounded him in a gust of wind. "You think you can defeat me?" He chuckled. "I'd like to see you try!" He vanished, and suddenly reappeared before Pence. One of the lances collided with his shield, knocking Pence backward and into a tree.

Xaldin spun to face Olette, who was fleeing to the safety behind a tree. He rushed at her the same way as Pence, but stopped before the tree. He swung around and hit Olette, cutting her arm.

Kairi drew out the green flame jewel Maleficent had given her.**4** "Help us!" she cried.

The stone shattered into millions of pieces, and Kairi's Keyblade seemed to catch fire. The emerald flames flared up, and combined into Maleficent's form. The witch lifted her staff and smiled pityingly at Xaldin. The scepter glowed, and the emerald flames engulfed the Nobody.

Xaldin cried out in surprise and used his wind to blast away the flames. It didn't work, so he rushed out of the fire. He stopped short of hitting a tree.

Maleficent smiled and said before vanishing, "Xaldin can only move in straight lines with his wind riding abilities. He can't dodge while going at that speed."

Donald pointed his wand at the Nobody. "Blizzaga!"

Xaldin barely dodged with his super-speed, but ended up running straight into Roxas's Keyblades. Roxas slashed with them, knocking Xaldin onto his back.

"How...? How could I lose?" he said, breathing heavily. Bits of his body were disintegrating.

Selena pulled a heart with a small tornado inside from her bag and placed it gently in Xaldin's chest. "Live with a heart now, Xaldin."

The former Nobody vanished without a trace. Well, that was a lie. A key chain remained, shaped like one of his lances. Sora picked it up and hooked it to his Keyblade experimentally.

The blade glowed, and turned into a long silver stick. The key part became pointed and looked like a dragon's head. "Ginryu,"**5** Sora said, inspecting it. "This is awesome!"

Hayner was staring at something on of a tree that was glittering. "What's that?" He ran over and clambered up the tree.

"I always knew you were a monkey!" Riku called up at him when he reached the glittering object.

"Shut up!" Hayner called back down. He picked up whatever it was, yelled to Olette and pence, "Maneuver 24, guys!" and jumped down. Olette and Pence caught him before he hit the ground. "Look! It's a heart shard!"

Selena took the sparkling jewel and put it into her purse. Roxas caught a glimpse of a musical note spinning around inside. She pulled out her compass and sighed as the needle blinked blue. "We should head back to Radiant Garden to help Riku," she said, disappointed.

They nodded, and with that left Halloween Town.

* * *

**1. **I wanted to give Riku a sad back story for this to kind of explain how he is, but I think I just ended up giving him one of those cliché "I don't know who his parents are, so I'm giving him a dead mother" stories...

**2. **Hee hee... couldn't resist.

**3. **For those of you who don't speak Vexen, he' basically describing snow in his scientific language.

**4. **That was in chapter 13

**5. **If anyone has ever read/watched Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, Ginryu is the name of Kurogane's sword.

That's it for this chapter! See you all later!

* * *

**Varan's Discussion Room**

Little does Sailorstar know that that _**ISN'T**_ the end to the chapter. Varan here with a little discussion room for you readers! Because I haven't appeared lately, I've stolen Sailorstar's notes for past chapters and replaced them with brownies, so it'll be a while before she notices they're gone, if at all!

Now, an explanation for what I'm gonna do in my little segment:

If you have any questions about the author, about the story, about an anime that Sailorstar likes, feel free to ask, and I'll interrogate her. If you have a question for any of the characters, I'll ask the others—unless it's for me, since that would be just plain silly. Also, if you like, I can give you all spells and enchantments for everyday life if you ask, since I am a witch and all. :-)

I'll also reveal notes for past chapters and about the characters for you all, so I hope you read my Discussion Room!


	22. Stolen Away

**Chapter 22: Stolen Away**

Sorry for the lack of updates, guys! Life has been eaten away by homework, and I've at long last been able to return! (all cheer). Thanks for your patience! Here's the chapter!

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It wasn't long before they reached Radiant Garden and landed. No sooner had they landed at the edge of the market did a man in a red cloak walk up to them. He had black hair and red eyes. "Are you Selena?" he asked, his voice cold. It sent shivers down Roxas's spine.

"Yes, I am," Selena replied, smiling. "You're Vincent, right? I haven't seen you since you were this tall!" she said, holding her hand up to show that she'd seen him a little shorter than herself.

The man ignored the comment and turned. "Varan asked me to escort you to her house. There are quite a few Nobodies and Heartless wandering about, and it's not safe."

"But we're with her," Olette pointed out. "We've fought plenty of Heartless."

Vincent frowned. "Don't ask me why she told me to come, then." He started to walk away.

"He's being awfully rude!" Kairi whispered as they followed Vincent.

Nothing happened the entire way to Varan's home. A couple people watched as they passed, eying Vincent's gun fearfully. It didn't take long for them to reach the house, where Varan was pacing nervously in front.

"What's with the escort?" Selena asked, tilting her head in confusion. "I don't mind, of course, but..."

"We'll talk about it inside!" Varan hissed, pushing Selena toward the door. "It's dangerous."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "We haven't seen any Heartless or anything, though."

"That's right!" Donald shouted. "There's nothing here to be worried about!" He tapped his foot irritably.

Varan glared coldly. "Well, smarty pants, if you want to be a roast duck, then feel free to stand there. Anyone not wanting to be attacked, come inside."

Selena smiled uselessly. "Well, I guess that means we have to come in no matter what." Varan ushered her in and signaled the others to enter as well.

Varan's house hadn't changed since they last saw it. Much of it was still cluttered with things that seemed to be in some kind of order.

Riku tugged on Varan's knee-length skirt. "If you haven't noticed, I'm kinda cursed. Can you fix it?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I didn't notice," she replied, preoccupied. She snapped her fingers, and a paper with strange runes on it stuck itself to the door. "What did you need again?" she asked, waving a hand so that a tea pot started pouring tea for everyone.

"He's tiny," Naminé said, taking her cup of scalding tea. She put it down on the table next to her. "Can you break the curse on him?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Varan said shakily.

"You're not acting like yourself," Pence commented, munching on a plate of cookies that floated up to him. He made a face after the first bite and put the cookie back.

Varan hesitated. "I had a vision. Let's leave it at that, shall we?" She knelt down to be eye level with Riku. "This will be quite easy to fix." She touched his forehead with her finger and stood.

Nothing happened for a few moments. Riku looked at himself, trying to see what she'd done. Just as he was about to complain, his form flickered. One moment, he was a child, the next he was his older self. "I'm me again," he said, relieved. He sat down in on of the overstuffed armchairs.

"What was the vision about?" Hayner asked, taking a cookie. He had the same reaction to it as Pence had.**1**

The witch shook her head. "Can't tell you," she replied stiffly.

Naminé's teacup fell to the floor with a crash, splashing tea everywhere. "What was that?!" Sora jumped at the sudden sound. "An earthquake?"

"That shouldn't be possible," Varan said, waving her hand. The tea mopped itself up and the cup reassembled. "This house is in a dimension I created. No outside force should affect it." Then, she turned pale. "Unless..." She ran to the door, but not in time to stop it from being blasted to pieces.

In the wreckage stood a tall man with blue hair, pointed ears, and an X-shaped scar on his forehead. He smiled darkly. "I've come for the girl," he said, pointing at Selena.

Behind him, the city was in flames. Squall was lying unconscious a few feet away, and Yuffie was slumped against a wall. Even Vincent, who had seemed extremely powerful, seemed to have been nothing more than a rag doll in comparison to Saïx's power.**2**

Riku drew his Way to Dawn and stood between Saïx and Selena. "What do you want with her?"

Everyone drew their weapons at Riku's motion. Saïx rolled his eyes and lifted his oversized staff. "Do you really think you can stand in my way?"

"I beat you once already," Sora pointed out, "and I didn't have this many people helping."

Varan inched toward Selena, grasped her hand, and prepared to make a run for it with her friend. "Careful, he has a spell on him that amplifies his power."

Saïx smirked. "You mean this?" he asked, revealing a gold crescent moon on a chain around his neck. "I came prepared. Either hand over the girl, or I'll have the others destroy this town until it's an unrecognizable ruin."

In the street behind him, a giant of a man appeared from a portal and stomped on Squall's back. Axel appeared as well, and Roxas knew that he didn't want to destroy the town.

"Stop it!" Selena screamed, as Squall let out a shallow groan as the tall Nobody batted him to the side with a huge tomahawk. "If I go with you, will you stop hurting them?"

Saïx nodded to the others, who lowered their weapons. "This way, miss," he said sarcastically. "We don't have all day."

Selena turned to Varan, and huge white wings burst from her back. Rxoas felt a strange warmth from his heart and knew that those wings had crafted his heart. "Take this. It should be payment enough to fix the town," Selena said, a sad smile painted across her face. She plucked a shimmering feather from her wings and turned back to Saïx. "Shall we?" The wings vanished.

Roxas grabbed Selena's arm. "You don't have to go!" he pleaded. "We can take him!"

Selena shook her head sadly. "Don't worry. A little birdie will take you to where they hold me, I'm sure." She pulled her hand away and walked into the dark portal that Saïx beckoned her to.

The tall, brown-haired Nobody turned to Axel and nodded. He vanished. Axel vanished as well without so much as a glance in Roxas's direction.

Riku rounded on Varan. "Where did they take her?!" he roared.

Varan ignored him and stepped outside into the ruins once known as Radiant Garden. "Now to grant her wish." She held the feather out, and it floated high into the air. The light it gave off was blinding. When everyone's eyes readjusted, the city was the same as it was that morning. Yuffie sat up and felt where large wounds had been bleeding. "I'm alive? Sweet!" She jumped up and helped Vincent and Squall up. "I thought we were done for!"

Riku grabbed Varan's shoulder and spun her around to face him. "You're a witch! Get her back!"

"And since when have you cared so dearly for her?" Varan asked. Riku flinched back as if he'd been struck. Large tears were rolling down Varan's cheeks and splashing to the ground. "She's been practically a sister to me for over a thousand years!" Varan half sobbed. "She was a saint to care about someone like me!"

Naminé touched Varan's shaking shoulders. "Riku, be nice. We haven't known Selena and Varan half as long as they've known each other."

"I've got it!" Olette cried, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Selena said a bird will help us out! Varan, do you know what she meant?"

Varan didn't reply. She rushed into the house and opened a trunk filled haphazardly with all kinds of junk. She threw behind her in her search a staff with a broken sphere on the top, a small mallet, and a small, red stone.**3** She eventually pulled out a small woodcarving of a sparrow.

"Little birdie," she whispered, "hear my plea. Come to life, and fly for me."

The bird twitched, and unfolded its wings. It fluttered about Varan's head, chirping a sweet little tune. It then landed in Varan's palm. "My lovely witch, so strong and grand! What is it I can do, tell me while I'm in your hand."

Sora looked at the bird and then at Varan. "How's this supposed to help?"

"I'll tell you when you pay for it," Varan said simply. "I'm what's called a Space-Time witch. I can only give a person magic like this for a price. Think of it like a pawn shop." She smiled at Riku. "The price shall be your lovely hair, Riku."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "What would you want with my hair?" he asked. He didn't flinch as Varan pulled out a pair of scissors from a small box.

"Isn't it obvious?" Varan inquired, sitting Riku down in a chair so she could reach his hair more easily. "Many spells require the use of human hair, and yours is silver—a very magical color. I can make very potent spells with it!" she said, grinning.

"What's with Varan?" Hayner whispered to Roxas. "She seemed depressed a minute ago."

"You're blind," Olette replied. "She's still worried. She just doesn't want us to know it."

After cutting his hair neatly to shoulder length, Varan put Riku's hair in a box. "Done," she said. "Little birdie," she said to the bird, "your new master is the man there, who traded for you his beautiful hair."**4**

"Why do you keep rhyming?" Sora asked, looking at the wooden bird perched on Riku's shoulder. "And how's this wooden bird supposed to help us?"

With a smile, Varan replied, "The bird speaks in rhyme. It won't understand unless you tell it what to do in rhyme as well. As for how it will help you, it can find anything you want, as long as you can put it in a rhyme."

"That's amazing!" Pence said excitedly. "So it could find anything?"

"As long as it exists," Varan corrected. "It can tell you what world something is in, even."

"Gawrsh, then couldn't we have used it to search for our search for the Door to Darkness?" Goofy asked.

"That seems beyond this little guy's power," Varan replied cooly. "It seems he can't find anything dealing with the Realms. We asked him to find a Door to the Light to experiment, but he couldn't point out any."

Riku held the bird up to inspect it. He then decided a rhyme. "Please find Selena, do the best you can. Please help your master, this lost, confused man."

The bird chirped happily and darted out the window. "I'll return soon, you can count on it. Just wait here and tightly sit!"

"I didn't know you could rhyme," Sora teased, punching his friend's arm.

Riku raised an eyebrow. "How do you think I entertained myself with Maleficent?" he asked. "You know what, don't answer that," he said quickly as he saw Sora's expression turn thoughtful.

The bird flew back into the room. "The princess is in a castle, made stone of purest white. It's called Castle Oblivion, and oh, she's at a terrible hight!" The bird landed in Riku's hand and stiffened, returning to his original woody form.

"Castle Oblivion?!" Naminé gasped. "We must hurry! They'll be able to put all sorts of awful traps up if we don't."

"Take this," Varan said, handing something to Olette. It was a shining star. "Put that on the top of your wand. It's a piece of that staff that I was charged with carrying. It will make your spells more powerful. It will also allow you to use any basic spell, such as Thunder, Blizzard, Gravity, Cure, and so on. Donald can teach you all of these." She passed small jewel to Hayner. "This contains secret arts only that blade can perform. You'll know how to use them when the time comes." She gave Pence a chain with beads and feathers. "This will allow you to protect more with that shield of yours. I'm sure it will be useful for you in the future."

Varan waved a hand, and the door hopped back into its frame. "Please hurry to Selena's aid," she whispered, turning the handle. "The best of luck to you all!" She opened the door, revealing a large field with a huge castle in the distance. "I cut more hair than necessary so I could help you to wherever Selena was," she explained at their gaping mouths. "Hurry!"

* * *

"This will be your room," Saïx said, gruffly shoving Selena into a chair. He clipped something around her ankle. "And this Twilight Anklet will keep you here," he sneered, smirking.

"Where are you getting all this magic from?" Selena inquired dully.

"We'd never tell a brat like you," the Nobody snapped back. "Sit here quietly until Vexen comes to draw blood and get the rest of those silly Angel's Treasures." He stalked through the door.

"What's gotten him all riled up?" Demyx asked, poking his head in the door. "Holy cow! They actually caught you?"

Axel rolled his eyes and shoved Demyx into the room. "No duh, Sherlock. We have to get her out of here!"

"He'll know if you help me escape," Selena pointed out. "This anklet has a spell on it so that I can't leave this chair, and it can't be removed as long as I'm alive..." her eyes widened. "If I'm alive!" she repeated. "Of course!"

The door slammed open, and there stood the tall Nobody. "Lexaeus!" Demyx said, nervously. "What a surprise."

Lexaeus drew his tomahawk. "You two are traitors! I heard everything!"

"My purse," Selena said calmly. All three, weapons drawn, turned to look at her. "Please get me my purse on the table there."

Not lowering his weapons, Axel nodded to Demyx, who did as he was told. Demyx tossed the bag to Selena, who then opened it. She retrieved a large chunk of a heart with what looked like different rock formations inside that constantly shifted from one shape to another.

"Please take this, Lexaeus," she said calmly. Lexaeus took a tentative step back in response. The distraction gave Axel the moment he needed. He rushed behind his fellow Nobody and grabbed him in a headlock.

Still surprised, Lexaeus didn't put up much of a fight as both Demyx and Axel wrestled him close enough to Selena for him to regain his heart. "What did you do?!" he cried when the heart had sunk in. "You both just betrayed the Organization!"

"And you won't tell anyone." Axel smirked. "You'll be killed too."

Lexaeus sighed, seeing the reasoning behind Axel's comment. "Fine, but what can I do, huh?"

"Deactivate all of the traps in the castle," Selena said calmly. She smiled. "The others are here and close to the castle. Please help them get here as quickly as possible. I leave the rest to you all."

They nodded and rushed away to do as Selena had asked.

* * *

**1. **Those had to be some REALLY bad cookies for both Hayner AND Pence to not like them.

**2. **Typed this on my school computer, which sadly doesn't have Saix autoformatted to become Saïx. Had to do quite a bit of copy/pasting. Same goes for Naminé.

**3. **See Varan's Discussion Room.

**4. **lol. Beautiful hair. Poor Riku. His hair looks like it did in KH1 now.

Thanks for reading! My life has been extremely busy. This Friday is opening night of the Nutcracker performance my dance studio puts on every year. It's also my Birthday this Friday, and I'll be turning sixteen. Later guys!

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**Varan's Discussion Room**

Oh, I do hope they find Selena in one piece... I can't let that get me down, though! The author hid the notes for future chapters from me. She finally figured out I replaced the old ones with cookies. She has given me permission to reveal her notes for past chapters and things about the characters that won't spoil future chapters.

First things first. I'm what's known as a Space Time Witch, meaning I can grant ANY wish for a price, no matter how ridiculous the wish may be. As long as I get equal payment, I can give you anything you want.

I'd like to discuss the silly little things I've collected in this chapter! The staff is from a demon that lived in another world. I don't remember what she wanted, but she gave me the broken staff. You all would know her as Shia from the manga Pita-Ten.

The mallet was from an Exorcist named Lavi. Once again, I have _**NO**_ idea what he traded it for. The crazy, redheaded future Bookman is from the manga and anime D.Gray-Man.

As for the stone, it's more commonly referred to as The Philosopher's Stone. My good, old friend Nicolas Flammel (who's name I probably misspelled here) gave it to me in exchange for enough materials to make enough of the stone to last them one hundred years. Haven't heard from him ind his wife for fifty years too. It's very disappointing.

As Sailor's said, it's her birthday this Friday, so please wish her happy birthday. She'd really appreciate someone remembering.

I'll now answer the couple questions I got for the chapter. Twilight Power asks: "What are in the heart shards of all the Nobodies?" Well, I can't really answer that, since SAILOR TOOK THE NOTES!! _(glares at Sailorstar)_. He also asks what was in the shard in the last chapter. Roxas saw at the end of the chapter that there was a musical note in it, so it's probably Demyx's. Thank you for the wonderful question, Twilight. I'm sorry I couldn't answer.

Broken0dream asks how much Selena carries on her person and where. She carries it all in that bag of hers. It has another miniature dimension in it, so I'm not sure what she carries in it anymore. Scrolls, heart shards, and that compass should be obvious from the chapters you've read, but she has other stuff too. I know she has a hairbrush and the book she's currently reading, but that's all I know. I'd ask her, but she's sadly kidnapped at the moment. :-(

Thank you for reading my discussion room! I'll reveal more notes next time!


	23. In Pieces

**Chapter 23: In Pieces**

Sorry for the lack of update! School and homework have eaten my life, and my computer was taken by my brother's WoW and Guild Wars obsessions. I'll try to update a little more often and give you guys a good, long chapter with this one!

Oh, and by the way, thank you to all those who wished me a happy birthday last chapter. As always, I thank you for thinking of the author behind the text. :-)

* * *

Riku was the first to reach Castle Oblivion's doors. They were locked, but that didn't stop them. Sora drew his Keyblade and the door sprung open. The group nodded, and rushed into the building. Axel, Demyx, and Lexaeus were as good as their word. All of the traps in the castle had been deactivated.

Axel was making good use of the link between himself and Roxas and passed on all the directions. Even with the mental map, it took them a long time to reach the top floor.

'_Now where, Axel?'_ Roxas thought, but he didn't get a response. A hole seemed to be where Axel's voice had once been. _'Axel?'_

"Where to?" Hayner asked, glancing from one split in the hall to the other.

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know. Axel just dropped out all of a sudden. We'll have to guess."

Everyone knew they had to hurry. There wasn't enough time for them to be searching for the right place.

* * *

Selena sat in the room and took a deep, steadying breath. _'Courage'_ she thought to herself. Her eyes dulled, and the breath she took was so shallow, it seemed like she was near death. Her body went limp and slumped in the chair. Two lights, one bright white and the other a dark purple, escaped her chest and flew out the window.

The door slammed open and Riku rushed in, only to see Selena slip out of the chair and collapse to the polished floor. "Selena!" Riku shouted, as if she would respond to the name. He lifted her from the ground, and her head lulled to the side. He seemed surprised by something he felt while holding her.

Roxas was also surprised. The familiar warmth he usually felt when around Selena was gone.

"_Roxas! Get out of here!"_ Axel's voice came so suddenly, it made Roxas jump. _"Vexen's going to be there any minute!_"

"We have to go!" Roxas said, grabbing Riku's arm. "We'll worry about it later!"

They all nodded and glanced around for someway to escape. It was Kairi who saw a way out. "Everyone out the window! I have a plan!"

"But we're so high up!" Olette squeaked. "If we jump, we'll—"

"That's what Maleficent's for," Kairi replied, tugging on Olette's hand. She pushed the small window open. It was just big enough for everyone, even Pence, to squeeze through.

The ledge was small, smaller than the clock tower in Twilight Town. Roxas gulped nervously as a strong wind whipped his hair. The sun was setting, just as it was that day a few weeks before.

"Ready?" Sora called over the roar of wind to Kairi.

Kairi took a deep breath. "Jump!"

Everyone took the cue. Kairi drew her Keyblade and shouted Maleficent's name as loudly as possible. An aura of green flames engulfed the Keyblade and then shot past them. The emerald flames spread out to a large circle and Maleficent rose from it. She saw the predicament and her staff clacked against the solid wall of flames. Everyone's fall slowed and they landed on the stone that appeared from the fire.

Roxas breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe, not only from being a pancake on the ground but also from the Nobodies. The wind had carried them away from the castle, and into the forest below. They'd be able to hide and hopefully get out of the world without drawing much attention to themselves.

Once their feet were on the ground, Maleficent bowed and vanished in a burst of green fire. The flames had barely gone out before Olette's compact laptop beeped. She opened it quickly to Varan's worried expression.

"Thank goodness you found her!" Varan cried, but her happiness fizzled the instant she saw her friend. "Does Selena have a pulse...?"

"She's hardly breathing!" Riku said, panic-stricken. "What did they do to her?!"

Varan shook her head sadly. "It's not what they did to her, but what she did to herself. She's split herself into pieces as a defense mechanism so the Organization couldn't use her powers. She's lost both her heart and soul."

"But doesn't that mean she's dead?" Pence asked nervously.

"No," Varan replied, "but she doesn't have long. I'd say maybe a few days, tops. If she doesn't get her soul back, she's sunk."

"Where can we find it, then?!" Hayner shouted.

"The bird!" Olette said, turning to Riku. "We could use it to find where it is and then..."

"It won't work," Varan interjected sadly. "Riku has no idea what form her heart and soul have taken."

Roxas thought back to the two women he'd always see in his dream. They had said that they were the fragments that created hearts and souls. Could they have been Selena's heart and soul? "I think I might be able to help."

Varan's eyes sparkled knowingly. "It still won't help. That bird was traded to Riku for a fair price. It's his, and it will only obey him."

"So what do we do?!" Donald cried, his panic evident. "His Majesty will kill us when he finds out what happened to her! We should have protected her better..." He and Goofy both looked frightened.

Varan frowned, but simply said, "Then you'll all just have to fix this mess. I'd suggest getting to Traverse Town A.S.A.P. and ask around. Maybe a World Hopper will have spotted something odd that could be caused by Selena's soul and heart. That would be my guess."

"That might actually work," Pence said.

Hayner glanced around at the group, looking lost. "What's a World Hopper?"

"The name says it all," Varan answered. "They're people who simply travel between the different worlds for one reason or another. Traverse Town is sort of a base." She glanced past the screen to something on her end of the connection. "I have to go, so please hurry!" The screen went black and left the group knowing what to do and where to go.

* * *

It didn't take them long to reach Traverse Town. They nearly crash-landed in their haste to get off the ship, but they and the ship were fine.

They rushed out into the world, a large brick city with arrows and hands pointing every which way on various signs. The square was bustling with people, all of which looked as if they were from different worlds. Moogles bounced around, talking to various people and advertising their stores. Others were chatting to each other. Few seemed to notice Sora and the others' entrance, and even fewer seemed to care.

"Where should we start?" Olette asked, nervously. She was more used to a friendly greeting, or at least someone noticing their sudden appearance. Here, no one said so much as a "hello" or "can we help you?"

Riku glanced at Selena, whom he was carrying on his back. She looked like a sleeping child, the way he carried her. "We should just start asking around and see where that gets us."

Roxas nodded in agreement. "Splitting up might help, too. Naminé and I will go this way, and we'll meet up by that postbox." He pointed to the oddly shaped mailbox next to the stairs leading to a building with huge signs reading "Jewelry" and "Accessories" in brilliant gold letters.

Without warning, there were screams behind the group. They all turned to see a Heartless latched on to a boy's back. The one who had screamed was the girl behind him. Sora drew his Ginryu Keyblade**1 **and slashed the Soldier in two.

"Thanks a lot!" said the boy Sora had just saved with a grin. He had blond hair and was wearing blue clothes with a dagger at his side. The most noticeable thing about him, though, was the tail that whipped around behind him. "I thought I was a goner for—Woah! Is that _**THE**_ legendary Keyblade?!"

Everyone in the immediate area turned in an instant. "Keyblade? The Keybearer's here?"

"Where? I can't see him!"

"That kid with the brown hair? No way!"

"Zidane, you've done it now!" hissed the girl next to the monkey-tailed boy in blue. She had long brown hair and eyes to match. "Hurry!" Pausing to grab both Zidane and Sora's arms, she rushed through an opening in the crowd. Roxas and the others followed close behind. It was rough, but the girl and Zidane were able to fight through the crowd and make it into an emptier place.

The floor and walls of the new area were made of gray stone tiles. In the corner was a fountain of two dogs kissing. Zidane and the girl led Sora, Roxas, and the others across the barren place, up some stairs, and into a small house.

"I'm sorry about all the trouble Zidane caused," the girl said politely. She straightened her orange and white clothes and sat down in one of the chairs. "Allow me to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Garnet, and this is Zidane.**2 **This is our base here in Traverse Town. I'm sorry that it is a bit of a mess, but we just returned from the Pride Lands and haven't had a chance to straighten everything out. Please, have a seat."**3**

Zidane had pulled out a bunch of folding chairs and somehow fitted them all inside of the small building. Everyone sat down, except for Riku, who was still carrying Selena. "I'm surprised she didn't wake up with all the noise," Zidane commented. "Feel free to lay her down on the bed there." He gestured to a small bed in the corner.

"Why did everyone swarm like that?" Hayner asked, still surprised by everyone's reaction. "I mean, aren't Keyblades normal?"

Garnet shook her head. "Keyblades are not as common as you may think. In fact, that was the first time I have ever seen a Keyblade."

"So, is that the legendary Keyblade?" Zidane asked, eyeing the blade still in Sora's hands.

Sora grinned and withdrew the weapon. "Yep. The name's Sora. Nice to meet you guys."

Riku sighed. "Sora, in case you forgot, we have something we have to do."

Naminé nodded. "Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to have seen or heard anything strange, like a ghost wandering around?"

Nodding, Roxas added, "We're looking for a woman with white wings."

"Come to think of it, didn't we see something like that in the Pride Lands?" Zidane asked Garnet. "Yeah, we did! The Pride Lands are full of animals, right? We were walking around and saw this winged woman standing by the cliff in the Oasis, just staring at the river and cliff in the distance. According to interstellar laws and stuff, you're supposed to be an animal when in the Pride Lands to protect _world order_ or somethin' like that, so we thought we should warn her. When we got near her though," he shook his head, "she just disappeared."

"Yes, that was odd," Garnet commented. "Is that the sort of thing you mean?"

"It wasn't a Heartless or Nobody, was it?" Zidane asked. Apparently, World Hoppers knew about both creatures.

Everyone stood up, and Riku retrieved Selena. "Yes, that's exactly what we needed!" Kairi said with a smile. "Thank you very much.

"Hey, hope we run into each other again!" Zidane said with a grin. "You know where to find us, if you're ever in Traverse Town again."

The others nodded. "See ya again!" Sora called over his shoulder as they ran to their Gummi Ship. It hadn't taken much to know where to search.

* * *

**1. **Ginryu is the Keyblade Sora obtained in Chapter 21.

**2. **Zidane and Garnet are from Final Fantasy IX and are property of Square Enix.

**3. **In case you were wondering why she's speaking so politely, it's because Garnet is a Princess in her game. I never got far, so I'm not sure how and if her speech changes as the game progresses.

That had to be the shortest chapter I've written in a while... Sorry guys, but homework and school have been eating my life. I hope to get back to updating a lot by next week (I'm going to Boston with my school, but AP Euro's done, so I should be able to update more often soon!)

* * *

**Varan's Discussion Room**

As promised, I have more information on this story. There is one thing I would like to point out to a wonderful reviewer of ours. Dragon's Clan commented that my magic seems similar to that of Yuko from XXXHolic. It is similar, Dragon's Clan, but Sailor Star came up with me and my magic long before she actually knew what anime was (which was when she was obsessed with Legend of Zelda). She's not offended by this comment, since when she read XXXHolic, she also had de javu about my magic. She didn't want to change my magic though, for the purposes of keeping to my original design. Thank you for pointing it out, though. Sailor was wondering when someone else would notice.

Fluteplayer, you do have a good question about the notes. Sailor does have notes, but she didn't want all her ideas publicized before that point in the story was reached. As for Wilbur Robinson and his family, I'm afraid Sailor has never seen "Meet the Robinsons" and probably never will, knowing her schedule. She's lucky she finds time to update this and her other fanfics.

Twilight Power, I'm sure Lexaeus will cooperate. If he doesn't willingly, I'm sure Axel has ways to make him.

CrystalFeathers, Selena's true self will be revealed soon. Even I'm not quite sure what Sailor has in mind for Selena, I'm afraid. And she hid those notes so I can't look.

Everyone who wished Sailor a Happy Birthday, I thank you. She always seems to think people believe there is no author to this story and that the words just magically appear on the screen for some reason. Thank you for making her birthday special to her.

Anyways, today, I'm going to talk about the World Hoppers. The World Hoppers Association (WHA) is the group in charge of all these world travelers. All the travelers are from worlds that already know about other worlds. All of the World Hoppers have heard of the famous (or possibly infamous) Sora from his friends in the various worlds.

As for the rules of the WHA, it's pretty much the common sense stuff that Sora ignores: Don't interfere, etc. Obviously, Sora breaks these rules almost as often as he breathes. The rules are set not only for the worlds, but also for the World Hoppers' protection. If you wander around the Pride Lands as a human being, it is very likely you will get eaten, just as you will drown if not a merperson in Atlantica. The WHA is there for the protection of World Hoppers and to keep any problems from arising.

Thank you for listening and reading this chapter! Oh, I'd also like to say that Sailor Star is becoming a "Beta Reader" and would love to hear from you for beta reading. Hope to hear from you all soon!


	24. Prideful Spirit

**Chapter 24: Prideful Spirit**

I'll talk more at the end.

* * *

"Where are we?" Kairi asked, brushing dirt out of her red lion fur. The group now found themselves in a huge, open savanna. The place was wild, with animals running around in the distance.

Hayner stared at himself. "Better yet, _**WHAT**_ are we?" Hayner asked, staring at his new form. He was a striped rodent of some kind, and his sword was larger than he was. Roxas felt sick when he saw the scar the Heartless had inflicted in the Beast's world. Hayner grinned when he noticed Roxas's stare.

"Meercat," said Sora with a nod. He was a brown lion cub with a small, messy mane and his crown necklace was tied around his neck like a collar. "I'm a lion! Rawr!" His roar was a pretty pathetic attempt.

Riku, a huge silver lion with a long, neat mane one upped him. He roared loudly to get everyone's attention. "Don't we have something we need to do?" he said, nodding to the sleeping lion cub on his back. "We have to find her soul, remember?"

"Right!" Olette said, bobbing her now scaley head. She was a snake. "We'll have to hurry for her sake."

Pence, a warthog, scooped Hayner up onto his back. "If we run into Heartless, Hayner, you'll have to put my shield on my tusks." Pence obviously found being an animal a lot of fun.

Donald, some sort of deformed bird, landed on Goofy, who had become a tortoise. "We could ask at Pride Rock if they've seen anything," Donald said, pointing a feathery wing toward a huge cliff in the distance.

"Gawrsh, maybe Simba's seen somethin'," Goofy said, grinning stupidly.

Roxas put a paw foreward in an attempt to follow Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who seemed like experts at moving in that world. He tripped himself up with his other paws and fell.

"Takes some getting used to," Sora said, helping his friend up. Kairi and Naminé, a red and a white lion respectedly, had also fallen flat on their faces.

"How come you all get to be lions?" Hayner pouted.**1**

"You're just mad because you're tiny," Olette said, slithering up. She'd already mastered moving about as a snake. No extra paws to trip her up, after all.

Once they'd gotten the hang of moving about, the group set off for Pride Rock. It didn't take them very long to reach the place on all fours. Everyone but Sora, Donald, and Goofy were shocked to see that the place was covered in lions of all shapes and sizes. Hayner, Pence, and Olette, all not being lions, were nervous.

"Sora!" called a voice. Sora looked up only to see a large male lion knock him over in a lion hug. "Boy, are we glad to see you! You'll be able to take care of that thing!"

"Thing?" Sora asked, getting up. "What do you mean, Simba?"

"Recently, a," Simba lowered his voice and whispered, "human with wings," he spoke normally again, "has appeared. It just appears out of nowhere, and then disappears again without warning. It's scaring many of the animals here in the Pride Lands."

"We'll take care of it!" Donald said with a nod. "Right everyone?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Take care, you guys," Simba said, bowing his head. "I wish I could go with you, but... I have to keep an eye on everything here."

"We understand," Sora said. "Don't worry about a thing. We can handle just about anything anymore!" Sora grinned. He was about to lead them away, then stopped in his tracks. "Um... Simba? Where does this spirit normally appear, anyway?"

"Everyone says they see it in the oasis," Simba replied. "It can appear just about anywhere, but it seems to prefer that place most." The lion turned to stare in the oasis's direction. "Be careful, guys. There are Heartless all over the place again."

"We can handle it!" Hayner said with a grin. He'd already forgotten about his size and was ready to kick some Heartless butt.

It didn't take them all that long to reach the oasis. By then they were all used to moving to a certain extent, and by the time they reached their destination everyone agreed four legs (or no legs, in Olette's case) were better than two.

"Wow, it's beautiful..." Naminé said, looking around.

Roxas had to agree with her. The place was lush and green with waterfalls all around. From one of the cliffs, it was possible to see a giant river snaking its way through forests and cliffs.

A light drifted down to the cliffs and grew, fading as it reached human size. When the light had vanished, a woman in white stood, staring out at the river.

"Excuse me," Riku said, approaching cautiously. The woman turned and smiled sadly. "Are you... Are you Selena's soul?"

Both the woman and Roxas nodded. The soul whispered, "I am the fragment that creates hearts."**2** She knelt so as to look Riku in the face. "I will rejoin Selena now so that she will continue to live." She reached out to touch the sleeping lion on Riku's back.

The ground shook and a huge flower swallowed Selena's soul. Insect-like legs scuttled out after the flower had appeared, and a giant spider climbed out of the hole. The Heartless spider dived back into its hiding space.

"Oh no you don't! Blizzard!" Olette shouted. The tunnel froze over, making the spider hit ice.

The Heartless tried to regain its footing and ultimately succeeded after Donald had cast a fire spell on it. The creature cried out in pain and went to scurry away.

Hayner drew his sword. "Fire Arts!" he shouted, jumping off of Pence's back and slicing one of the creature's legs off. It toppled over.

Desperate, the Heartless spat webbing at Roxas and the others. Roxas managed to dodge, but everyone else was caught in the sticky goo. Worse, neither Olette nor Donald could raise their wands to blast any spells or heal.

It came like a bullet. Something shot from the bushes and rammed into the spider heartless, sending it sprawling to the ground once again. The thing landed. In that moment, Roxas saw a red lion-like creature with a _XIII_ branded on it and a small plushie on its back.**3** Then it dodged the spider's stomping leg.

"Oi! Laddy with the Keyblade!" called the stuffed cat on the lion-thing's back. "Beat it! There's not much we can do!"

Roxas blinked, then nodded. With the Oblivion in his mouth and the Oathkeeper wrapped up in his tail, Roxas launched himself at the spider. He slammed the Oblivion into its head and hit the flower with all his might using the Oathkeeper.

The giant spider shrieked and then vanished. A lone heart floated into the sky and disappeared, proving the Heartless's defeat. The gooey web it had shot bubbled and dissolved, freeing Roxas's friends.

Selena's soul drifted back down to the ground, holding Roxas's hand in hers so that he landed just as softly. She released Roxas's hand and once again reached out for Selena. This time she was able to touch the lion cub. Her form once again turned into a sphere of light, which sunk into Selena's body.

Riku breathed a sigh of relief. "Her body's warm again. I can feel her heart beating too... She'll be okay now." A tear streaked down his cheek.

Sora grinned. "Riku's crying! Riku was worried!"

Riku glared at his friend and wiped away the tear with a paw. "I was not! There was something in my eye!"

"You were crying," Pence said. "It's all right to admit it. We were all worried."

"I wasn't crying!" Riku snapped.

The lion-thing approached. "Are none of you injured?"**4** He asked.

"Wak! He talks!" Donald said in surprise.

"Gawrsh, we all can talk," Goofy pointed out. He received a wing-slap from Donald.

The red lion laughed. "Of course I can speak," he said. "My name is Red XIII, and the plushie on my back is called Cait Sith. We're travelers like you."

"How could you tell we're not from here?" Roxas asked. He thought they'd been doing a decent job matching the world.

Cait Sith rolled his eyes. "You and the brown kitten's got necklaces for one thing! You guys can't seem to walk in a straight line either!" Cait Sith narrowed his eyes. "Plus, you're a Nobody," he said sourly to Roxas.

Roxas had forgotten about the _XIII _branded onto his arm. "You're friends got a tattoo," he pointed out lamely.

"That's from an experiment that freak Xehanort was gonna perform on him," Cait Sith said. "I busted him before that could happen."

"A toy?" Hayner gave Cait Sith a funny look.

"I wonder what makes this thing work," Pence said. He inspected the plushie.

"I'm a robot, that's how I work!" Cait Sith said, jumping up and down on Red XIII's back. "The real me's in an undisclosed location controlling this toy so that Xehanort can't find me!"

Olette sighed. "Well, if you're too much of a coward to say it face-to-face, you have no right to call Roxas a Nobody. He's not one, anyway. He's got a heart."

"Bet he stole it from someone," Cait Sith scoffed.

"That's enough," Red XIII said at last. "You should be nicer to them, especially since we have a huge favor to ask them."

"What's that?" Naminé asked.

"We need a ride. Our ship got destroyed on the way here, and we've been stranded in this world for a couple days," Red XIII replied. "I appologize for Cait Sith's rudeness. We can leave the doll here if you like."

"You are not leaving me on this speck of dirt!" Cait Sith shouted, clinging to Red XIII's fur. "It's expensive to keep remaking these robots!"

Sora smiled. "Don't worry. We won't leave you here."

"On one condition," Riku said. "We ducktape the toy to the Gummi's roof and tape its mouth shut."

No one saw anything wrong with that arrangement, so they decided to head back to Radient Garden, Red XIII's home. The group went onto the Gummi Ship.

"So, may I ask how you got a heart?" Red XIII asked Roxas.

Roxas blinked. "Oh! It's thanks to Selena."

Red XIII looked over at Riku, who had Selena cradled in his arms. "She seems to be asleep. Judging by what happened in the Pride Lands, she's lost her heart too, right? That is terrible. I'm sure Varan is just as worried about her as you and your friends."

"We'll get her heart back!" Hayner said with a grin. "If it's anything like her soul, it'll be a snap!"

"Hayner?" Hayner's butting into the conversation like that surprised Roxas. Hayner had been talking with Olette and Pence. Roxas had assumed Sora wasn't paying any attention.

"You looked worried, so I decided to cheer ya up! Isn't that what brothers are for?"

Roxas had almost forgotten that they were family. It had been so long since they'd been home in Twilight Town, without anything to worry about except school and Seifer's gang. He smiled. "Thanks."

"Woah! Hayner and Roxas are acting brotherly!" Pence said, laughing hysterically.

"I can't believe it! I never thought it would happen!" Olette said, laughing equally as hard.

"Hey, why weren't you guys hyenas in the last world? It woulda fit you better!" Hayner said.

"I wish," Roxas said, getting Hayner, Pence, and Olette's attention, "that it could always stay like this. Us just goofing around."

"What're you talking about?" Hayner said, patting Roxas's shoulder. "It's always going to be like this. Once we beat the Heartless, everything's going to go back to normal."

"We'll just be normal high school kids," Olette said. There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No more adventures," Pence added.

A silence fell over the entire cockpit. Everyone had the same thought: _When this is over, we'll never adventure like this again._**5**

Red XIII was the one to break the silence. "Even if you never meet again, your hearts are connected. If you think of eachother from time to time, then you will meet again. That is the magic of having a heart. You may feel lonely, but you'll never truly be alone. You may be far apart, but you have the same heart. That's what I believe, at least."

"Red XIII's right!" Sora said. "We can't let what's gonna happen drag us down! Let's focus on the here and now!" He grinned at everyone. "Right?" No one answered. "Right?" he repeated, louder.

"Right," Roxas said.

Everyone else looked at eachother and together shouted, "RIGHT!"

* * *

**1 **Answer to Hayner's question: Sora, Riku, and Kairi are all lions. Since Roxas and Naminé were Sora and Kairi's Nobodies, they are also lions.

**2 **That's how she first introduced herself to Roxas, by the way.

**3** Guess who! It's Cait Sith and Red XIII from Final Fantasy VII!

**4 **Sadly, I don't remember too much about how Red XIII talks. Please make due with what I've written. I appologize to any Red XIII fans out there.

**5** Proof I do have an ending in mind. Okay, it't more proof that I plan on ending this eventually...

Well, that's the end of this chapter. I've been super busy all summer, what with my trip to Japan and all. I'm sorry that this chapter was short and not very good. I stopped writing it for a little while and lost the feel. I promise I'll get right back into it right away!

* * *

**Varan's Discussion Room**

All right! Chapter's finally done! Now to answer you're questions!

Fluteplayer asks if anyone can do what Selena did to separate her heart and soul from her body. Well, Selena's not the only one who can do it, but not anybody can do it with proper training. It takes a lot of will power to do it and survive any lengrh of time to get your soul back. After all, when you get rid of your soul and heart, you have no life energy—you're literally surviving on your will to live. I suppose Riku and Sora could do it if they tried, maybe even Roxas, but as for how long they'd survive, I really have no idea.

Fluteplayer also asks how Elphaba's doing. She's doing great. She's currently a World Hopper with Fiyero by her side. She plans on eventually contacting her friend, Glinda, but only after everything's settled down in Oz. I'll tell her you said hi! (_winks_­­)

Jupiter-Lightning pointed out how long the story's been going on. Yes, it may be two years in your dimension, but it's been less than a month in ours. This story started August 25th in our dimension and it is currently the 10th of September. Wow, time sure does fly for you and slow down for us.

Twilight Power asks a couple questions about the Organization XIII. It's true none of them have died. As for their powers, they had those powers before they became Nobodies. Losing their hearts actually amplified their power somehow. When they get their hearts back... Well, I'll let our wonderful author tell that story. She'll answer the rest of your questions with the actual story.

Today, I'd like to discuss magical intruments, such as the Flutes of Light and Darkness. The fact is, there are many such instruments in the worlds, many of which I've either been fortunate or unforunate enough to come across.

The Flutes of Light and Darkness are just that. Only those whose hearts align with light can hear the Flute of Light, and it's the oposite for the Flute of Darkness. Both have the ability to control the minds of those who hear them. Depending on the skill of the Flutist, it can have more exact or generalized effects. A master can control minds or make a large group of people feel a specific emotion when they hear the flute.

I've also come across a pan flute that allows you to change size. High notes make you small and low notes make you huge. The downside is that it lasts until sunset, regardless of when you use the flute. (reference to Jewel Kingdom book series)

The instruments used by Season Fairies have the ability to control the weather. These instruments are too small for human hands, so it can be quite tricky to deal with the pixies responsible for our weather. These instruments are made specifically for each season fairy and can control one aspect of the weather. One can make it colder, while another makes it warmer. One makes it rain while the other makes it sunny. One makes the wind blow while another causes snow. It's a mystery to me as to how these instruments are made. None of the Season Fairies seem to know... (Little Snow Fairy Sugar reference).

Too everyone else, thank you for your review!


	25. Return to Twilight Town

**Chapter 25: Return to Twilight Town**

"Man, it's great to be back!" Pence said, stretching. They'd just arrived in Radiant Garden.

"Glad to see you guys are okay." Squall smiled, but frowned when he saw Cait Sith. "You brought him along too?"

Red XIII sighed. "He wouldn't let go of me long enough for me to leave him in the Pride Lands."

"Wait, you're saying that entire excursion was to get rid of me?!" Cait Sith shouted, jumping up and down.

"Pretty much," Yuffie said with a grin. "I came up with the idea." She seemed proud of that fact, too. That's when she saw Selena. "Hey, Selena!" she said, happily running up to Riku, who was carrying her. "You sleeping?" Yuffie poked the girl. "Hello! Wakie wakie!"

Riku shook his head. "She's lost her heart. She's not going to wake up any time soon."

"That is a problem," Squall commented. "Did the Organization XIII do this?"

Varan appeared out of nowhere. "No, Selena did it to herself." She turned to Roxas and the others. "I'm glad to see you all are all right." She looked tired, but she smiled despite that. She turned to leave. "His Majesty wishes to speak to you."

The group all looked at each other. "She's acting weird," Olette commented.

"She's been like that since the Organization took Selena," Yuffie explained. "I think she's just been super worried about you guys."

"Hurry up," Varan said mechanically. "King Ansem's waiting."

Naminé nodded. "She's definitely been worried." She ran to catch up with Varan. "Let's go."

It wasn't far to the castle from where they landed. Inside, King Ansem was rubbing his eyes. He seemed tired too. He glanced up from his paperwork when he heard the door open.

"Oh! Good, you're all safe and sound," Ansem said, smiling. He adjusted his tinted glasses. "I was afraid it might have gotten you."

"It?" Sora repeated. "What do you mean by 'it'?"

Varan nodded to Olette. "Check Olette's laptop. I know something was sent out to all magicians who has one of those."

Olette opened the laptop, and an article appeared. There was even a link to a news report. Deciding it was probably faster, she clicked the video.

A man wearing a top hat appeared. It was like a strange version of the nightly news broadcasts Roxas had seen in Twilight Town. "Recently, a strange being has been spotted throughout the worlds. It is similar to a Heartless, but magic weapons seem to have no affect on the creature. We have a sketch of what the being looks like." As he said this, the screen switched to a drawing of a woman in black robes with crow wings. Roxas recognized her instantly. "If you meet this Heartless, run. Try to escape. Do _**NOT **_allow her to take your heart. I repeat—" but Olette had already shut the computer off.

"This is terrible!" Kairi said. "That's Selena's heart, right? Why'd it become a Heartless?!"

Varan shook her head. "It's not a Heartless, or I don't think it is. The magic weapons would have defeated a Heartless. From the sounds of it, I think it's her heart just gone mad with power. After all," she added softly, "Selena's flesh was probably a limiter for her heart and soul's powers. Freed like this, it's possible the power went crazy."

"So that's why it's stealing hearts?" Hayner asked, raising an eyebrow. "That doesn't make much sense."

Ansem sighed. "Well, here's something that makes even less sense. This 'Heartless' is killing other Heartless and taking the hearts from them. It's also killing Nobodies. It's been making it's way through the worlds, taking hearts from whatever it can and—"

Ansem didn't finish his sentence. Selena had opened her eyes and was staring blankly around the room. Riku set her down, but she simply collapsed to her knees. She was like a living doll with no will of her own.

"She's like how Kairi was," Sora commented. He squatted down next to Riku to get a better look. "Remember? Kairi was all zombie-like when she lost her heart."

"She'd always react like this when you were nearby..." Riku stated. He seemed to put two and two together. "That must mean her hearts nearby!"**1**

Pence blinked, unable to follow Riku's train of thought. "Where do you get that logic from?"

"No time to explain!" Sora said. "We just know, so go with it!"

Roxas saw Selena had settled her gaze on the door. "Is it outside?" Roxas asked Selena. The girl didn't respond. She just stared unwaveringly at the door, waiting.

Olette noticed, too. "Guys, let's check outside."

Everyone nodded. Riku scooped Selena up and they rushed through the castle to the market. Standing there was the woman in black. She seemed disappointed that no one was around, until she saw them approach.

Selena lifted a hand and reached out for the Heartless woman. It was the liveliest motion anybody had seen her perform since she'd lost her heart and soul.

While everyone was distracted, the Heartless woman launched herself at the group. "Watch out!" Pence shouted, holding up his shield.

The shield glowed, and a barrier formed around them. The barrier was sparking and crackling with electric current. The Heartless woman seemed amused by the barrier and stood, waiting.

The drain on Pence was too much. He dropped his shield and collapsed to his hands and knees. He was panting and covered in sweat. The barrier had been stretched out over too big an area for him to keep it up for very long.

Hayner drew his sword to defend his friend. "Fire Arts!" he shouted. His sword caught fire and he swung at the Heartless.

The woman rolled her eyes, grabbed Hayner's arms, and twisted his one arm behind his back while the other was held in the air so that he couldn't move. She then shoved him into Donald and Goofy, who were preparing to fight as well.

Smiling, she reached down for Pence. Her hand passed right through his chest, and a horrified expression played out across Pence's face. Still grinning, she pulled her hand swiftly away, revealing a heart that glittered with a strange purple light. Then, she swallowed it.

Pence almost fainted. Roxas was sure if it weren't for him holding his friend's shoulders, Pence would have. "How—How could you!" Roxas shouted at the woman. "Why'd you do that?"

The woman's smile quickly became a frown. She didn't reply as she vanished. Before she was completely gone, though, Selena muttered, "Twilight Town," before slumping back into her sleep-like state.

"Pence, you okay?" Hayner asked, rushing to his friend's side. Olette was already there, fanning a bit with her hand. "Give him some air, guys!"

Shakily, Pence nodded. "I... I think I'm all right... I'm not sure how, but... I'm still here and me..."

Riku shook his head. "You're a Nobody now. You must have a strong enough will to stay in a human form, but you don't have a heart anymore."

If it were possible, Pence would have become paler. As it was, he was already white as a ghost. "I don't feel good," Pence mumbled. He was in shock.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other uselessly, and then at Varan. Varan spoke, but everyone had to strain to hear her quiet voice. "Maybe if you defeat her, Selena's heart will release all the ones she took." She sounded uncertain, but her suggestion was better than nothing.

"We'll have to try that," Roxas said. He helped Pence up. "Let's get going to Twilight Town."

"Gawrsh, why there?" Goofy asked.

"Because Selena said it when her heart left. My guess is that's where the Heartless is heading." Roxas didn't want to refer to Selena's heart as a Heartless, but that was what it had become. It had taken Pence's heart. "Let's hurry before someone back home becomes a victim." Hayner, Pence, and Olette all agreed.

* * *

Vivi was walking to the Sandlot in Twilight Town. He was supposed to meet up with Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin for their patrol of the city as the Disciplinary Committee. Basically, Seifer threatened the would-be bullies that go after Vivi or other kids. That's why Vivi looked up to Seifer so much. If it weren't for him, Vivi would still be a major target for bullies.**2**

He rounded the corner and froze. Seifer was on the ground, and a tall woman in black was standing over him. Fujin and Raijin were also on the ground, standing. Fujin saw Vivi. "Run!" she called.

Vivi was rooted to the spot. He watched in horror as the woman's hand phased through Seifer's chest and pulled out a sparkling object. He couldn't even call for help. The woman ate the glowing object, and Vivi could only be silent. He wanted to run—to get help—but his feet wouldn't cooperate.

That's when the woman rounded on him. "My, your heart looks delicious as well," she said, licking her lips.

"Vivi! Stop standin' there like a statue, ya know?" Raijin shouted. "Run for it!"

Still, Vivi couldn't move. The woman came closer, smiling a dark smile. Vivi glanced around for something—anything—he could use as a weapon. He spotted Seifer's struggle bat not three feet from him. Vivi dived for it and grabbed it. He stood in a fighting stance, ready for the woman.

He didn't have to defend himself. At that moment, Roxas jumped in, using two strange swords to slice at the woman. She jumped back, and Roxas's swords cut air.

"So the Keyblade Master finally gets here," the woman said sarcastically. She looked behind Roxas and Vivi at something.

Vivi turned and saw that she was looking at a small girl who was staring, as if in a trance. The girl reached out an arm, as if she were trying to touch the black angel. The woman scoffed and vanished.

"She ran again!" the duck next to Hayner shouted. He was jumping up and down and stomping his feet. He was not happy.

Olette ran over to Seifer. "Are you all right?" she asked him. When he didn't respond, she drew a spiraled stick with something bright on the tip—it looked like a star taken right out of the sky. "Cure," she said, pointing it at him.

Seifer was engulfed in a green light for a moment, and then sat up. "Ow... Who knew an old hag could fight like that," he grumbled, rubbing the side of his head.

"Wait, hag?" Hayner repeated. "Did she look like an angel with black wings?"

Roxas nodded. "She ran off when I stopped her from getting to... uh..." he struggled to remember, then said, "Vivi, right?" He was addressing Vivi.

Vivi nodded. He was still looking at the oddly shaped swords in Roxas's hands.

"Who was that?" Raijin asked. "She came outta nowhere, ya know?"

"Too strong," Fujin added.

Vivi stumbled over to Seifer. "What was that...? What was that bright, sparkly thing she took from Seifer?" he asked quietly. His voice shook from fear.

"Uh oh..." Donald muttered. "This is bad, really bad!"

"What's bad?" Seifer growled. He seemed to be just short of shouting. "Who was that woman, and why'd she attack us out of nowhere like that?!" Vivi flinched at the harshness of his voice. Seifer sighed. "Viv, you've got to grow up and stop being a scaredy cat."

Roxas was about to answer, but Kairi drew her Keyblade. "Don't look now, but we have company," she said.

A dark portal had appeared while they were talking. A tall man with dark hair streaked with gray stepped out of the portal. He had an eye patch over one eye. "No, do go on," he said sarcastically. "I'd love to hear what you all think that Heartless is up to."

Roxas blocked the man's view of Seifer and Vivi. "What do you want, Xigbar?" he asked. "Aren't you getting a little old for this?"

Xigbar snorted. "Aren't you a little young to be talking that way to your elders?" he replied. He pulled out his guns and pointed on threateningly at Roxas. "Look, I've just come for you and the three Nobodies behind you. Come quietly, and I won't be forced to shoot anyone."

Pence flinched at the word. Roxas noticed and swung his swords threateningly. "Why are you so bent on kidnapping me anyway?"

"Because you have not one, but _**TWO**_ Keyblades!" Xigbar said. He fired his gun, and it hit the boy with silver hair straight in the chest. He fell to the ground, dropping the sleeping girl. Vivi saw that he was still alive. "Call that a warning shot," Xigbar said. "He'll just be stunned for a while."

Everyone drew weapons of various shapes and sizes. Somehow, Hayner's sword, Pence's shield, and Olette's staff looked familiar to Vivi, but he couldn't place where he'd seen them before.

It didn't matter, anyway. Xigbar shot all of them in the blink of an eye. Now, only Vivi, Pence, Seifer, and the sleeping girl were left unstunned. The little girl couldn't do anything, a strange woman had just beaten Seifer, and Pence didn't look too well. Gathering his courage, he picked up his struggle bat and rushed in front.

"Aw, come on!" Xigbar groaned. "I just want those four!" He pointed at Pence, Seifer, the sleeping girl, and Roxas. "Can't you just run along and play somewhere else?"

Vivi shook his head. _'Courage,'_ he thought. _'Gotta have courage!'_

Xigbar rolled his eye and shot the struggle bat right out of Vivi's hands. Vivi stared at his empty hand a moment before backing away from Xigbar's approach. He tripped over an uneven brick and landed on his butt.

"Sorry, I don't like to kill kids, but you started this fight." Xigbar pointed his gun at Vivi.

Vivi closed his eyes and felt something rush up from inside of him. _'Not again!'_ he thought. He'd had a headache all morning, and finally something was happening because of it. He felt the air become hot around him and heard an explosion. When he dared to open his eyes, he saw Xigbar sprawled on the ground a little ways from him. He knew the others were staring at him, but he didn't dare look behind him.

Xigbar struggled to get up. "Pretty good, kid," he commented. "Looks like I'll just have to—"

A sword was stabbed straight through him. "The only thing that's worse than a Nobody is one that picks on children," the black angel said. She withdrew her sword and allowed Xigbar to crash to the ground.

The sleeping girl seemed to wake up and stood shakily. She approached slowly and passed Vivi. She stopped next to Xigbar and fell to her knees next to him. The girl had no expression as she offered him a shining object with streaks of light zipping from one side to the other like bullets.

The bright jewel sunk into Xigbar's chest. Once it had, Xigbar vanished completely. The girl then glanced up at the woman in black and reached out to her. Something glimmered in the woman's eyes—fear, maybe?—and then vanished, along with the woman. The girl fell asleep again, but muttered, "The mansion."

Everyone was able to move again. Roxas**3** breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that was rough," he muttered. He knelt next to Vivi, who was still on the ground. "Are you okay?"

Vivi blinked and looked up at him, teary eyed. He quickly wiped his tears away, though. "I'm fine."

"That was the most powerful magic I've ever seen!" Donald said. "You must be a master magician!"

"That's silly!" Raijin said with a laugh. "There's no such thing as magic, ya know?" He helped Seifer off the ground.

Olette raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you call what I did to heal Seifer earlier and how Vivi blew up that Nobody?"

Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin didn't reply. Neither did Vivi. Nobody said anything for a few moments until Goofy said, "Gawrsh, Pence, are you feelin' okay?"

Roxas turned and rushed over to his friend. "Pence! What's—"

He didn't have time to finish his question before he got the answer. Pence's body glowed a moment, and standing where his friend had once stood was a Dusk. Roxas jumped back, startled.

"_What?"_ Roxas heard Pence ask. The Dusk looked at its tentacle hands and almost fell over in shock. _"What happened?! Why do I look like this now?!"_

Roxas was just as surprised. "Er... Pence...? You're still Pence, right?"

The Dusk nodded. _"I thought I was strong enough to keep a human shape!"_ he practically sobbed. _"Now I'm a monster that's gonna be forced to attack you and—"_

Seifer put his finger in his ear in an attempt to clean in out. "What's going on?" he asked. "And can you tell that thing to stop shouting? It's getting really annoying."

"Seifer, it's not talking, ya know?" Raijin said. "You feelin' okay?"

Riku scooped Selena up. "It's because he's a Nobody now. He and Pence are pretty much the same, so he's able to hear Pence talk."

"Nobody?" Vivi repeated. He looked at where Xigbar had been. "Was he a Nobody too?"

"Enough of this!" Seifer snapped. "Who are you?" he demanded. He was talking to everyone, including Roxas. "Who was that guy that got blown up? Who was that woman? What's a Nobody?" It was the first time Roxas had seen Seifer lose his cool.

Roxas sighed. "We'll explain later. First, we have to go to that haunted mansion and beat that woman in black. Once we do that, everyone should go back to normal."

"Are you sure?" Naminé asked quietly.

"No, but what else can we do?" Roxas put away his Keyblades. He then started toward the mansion.

Seifer grabbed his arm. "Hold on, you've never been to that old mansion!" He glared, and his grip tightened. "How do you know where it is?"

Roxas smiled, but it seemed detached somehow. "I just do. Let's get going before she has a chance to get away."

The sky was overcast and the smell of rain hung in the air. This made it easy for Pence to get around without being spotted; no one was there _to_ spot him. Without the detours they would have needed to take, they reached the mansion quickly.

The woman was standing before the gate. She smiled coldly as they approached. "So you haven't given up?" she asked. Roxas shook his head and drew his Keyblades again. She drew her own sword from nowhere. "Very well. I will go back to her, but only if you prove stronger than me, Roxas."

Roxas nodded and stood ready. The woman snapped her fingers, and a barrier glowed a moment around them. "Now we won't have any interruptions."

The fight began before Roxas could blink. He knocked the woman's blade away and tried to strike back. She dodged and swung at Roxas. The battle continued with neither fighter landing a blow on the other. Roxas had become good dual wielding Keyblades, but this woman was better with her blade. He was too busy blocking her attacks to attempt to strike at her.

Roxas was panting now. He could barely keep up with her before, but now that he was tired, he was slowing down. He looked for an opening, a mistake, _anything_ that would allow him to hit her.

His chance came. The woman stepped on a slick patch of wet grass and slipped. Before she could regain her balance, Roxas had one Keyblade pointed at her and the other in the air, ready to strike. He grinned, despite himself.

The woman looked long and hard at the blade, and then dropped her sword, which vanished in a cloud of darkness. "You win," she said, her lips curving into a smile. "Just what I expected from the Shadow Hero." She ignored the curious look in Roxas's eyes. Instead, she approached Selena and turned into a ball of darkness.

The ball shrunk as it released hearts, and soon the shadows around it dissipated. Only a single heart was left, and it flew into Selena's chest. Most of the hearts that had been released shot away, but two floated down. One went to Seifer; the other went to Pence.

Much to Roxas's relief, Pence returned to his original form. "Well, that was an adventure I never want to have again," Pence commented. A huge grin spread across his face. "I never want to be a Nobody again."

Selena twitched and opened her eyes. She seemed out of it for a few moments, but then she straightened up. "I hope I didn't cause too much trouble," she said, blushing. Riku let her down off his back, but caught her when she wobbled. "Guess I haven't walked enough lately." She laughed. It was as if she'd never been unconscious.

"What's going on here?" Seifer demanded again, this time of Selena. "What was that..._ thing_... and what did it do to me and Pence?"

Selena glanced around the place. "This is Twilight Town, right?" she asked.

"Answer," Fujin said coldly.

"Just tell us what's goin' on, ya know?" Raijin said. Irritation had creeped into his voice as well.

"I wasn't dodging the question, if that's what you think I was doing," Selena said. "I was just asking where we were, since I've been out for... How long have I been out?" she asked Kairi.

"Two days," Kairi replied.

"Man, you guys put me back together faster than I thought you would," Selena said with a grin. "Anyway, Twilight Town is famous for walls having ears, if you catch my drift. Know any buildings nearby?"

Olette raised her hand. "The Hangout." When Selena raised an eyebrow, she explained, "It's the restaurant my dad runs. That'll work, right?"

"Perfect! Lead the way, Olette!"

This irked Seifer to no end. "Answer my questions!" he shouted at Selena. He backed away when Riku gave him a cold glare.

Selena, meanwhile, stopped following Olette. "Very well. That thing that attacked you was my heart gone crazy with power so that it was similar to a Heartless. You got attacked because you have a relatively strong heart. It stole your heart and Pence's because it was crazy with power. That answers your questions."

She paused, and turned to Vivi. "You're Vivi, right? I remember you from the Struggle Match."

Vivi nodded. He fidgeted nervously under Selena's stare. Every time he looked up from under the brim of his hat, he'd look right into her eyes and be forced to look away. "W-why are you looking at me like that?"

"Am I right?" Donald asked excitedly. "Is he a magician?"

Selena shook her head, but her eyes didn't leave Vivi. "He can't be a magician. His magic's too wild to have ever cast a proper spell in his life. A magician's a master, but he's not even a mage yet."**4**

"There's no such thing as magic, ya know?" Raijin said. He crossed his arms defiantly. "Viv's just a normal kid."

"A normal kid that blew up a Nobody," Hayner scoffed. "That was definitely magic! I don't know much, but even I could tell that it was!"

Selena walked closer to Vivi and tried to peak under the short boy's hat. She was just tall enough that she hand to bend over a bit to see his face. Of course, Vivi turned his head away shyly. She leaned to one side to get a better look, and he turned the other way. Before he could do that again, Selena caught his chin and forced him to look into her eyes. "Do you believe in magic?" she asked.

Vivi was taken aback by the question. He wasn't expecting such a simple question. "Yes."

She dropped his chin, but he still looked at her. "Well then, we'll have to get a magician to teach you," she said with a smile. "I know just the person too!"

"Stop making things up!" Seifer said. "Magic doesn't exist! There's no magician that can teach Vivi anything because there's no such thing!"

Selena raised an eyebrow again. "Er... Didn't you just get your heart eaten?" She signaled for Roxas to lean in a bit, but still said loud enough for Seifer to hear, "Is he a little dense?"

That did it. Seifer grabbed Selena by the front of the shirt and lifted her off the ground so that they were eye-level. "I dare you to say that again."

"You're dense," Selena repeated. She grabbed his arms and pulled herself up a little so that she wouldn't choke from her shirt collar. "Even after all that's happened, you still deny the truth."

"Stop it!" Vivi cried. "Put her down, Seifer!" Vivi felt the familiar surge of power again and flinched.

A lightning bolt shot down, hitting Seifer's hands. He let go of Selena instantly and stared at his still shaking hands. The blast hadn't been too powerful, but it still looked like it had hurt. Roxas winced at the sight.

"Vivi!" Fujin rushed over to the small boy. He'd collapsed to all fours and was breathing heavily.

Olette drew her wand, but Selena lowered her arm. "I was going to use Cure!" Olette explained, but Selena shook her head.

"That won't help exhaustion caused from uncontrolled magic use," Selena said. "Roxas, do you have an Ether in your bag?"

Roxas dug through the pouch with the silver leaf pattern on it and pulled out a small bottle. He handed it to Vivi. "Drink it, you'll feel better."

Vivi did as Roxas said. He was right, too. Vivi didn't feel quite as tired, and his head wasn't spinning anymore.

"Now, before we have any other surprises," Selena said, "let's get to the restaurant. That way, you guys," she pointed at Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas, "can call your parents and let them know you're all alive."

Roxas and Hayner looked at each other. Both had the same frightened expression. "Mom's gonna kill us," Hayner said. Roxas could only nod.

"Come on!" Olette said, snapping Roxas and Hayner out of their thoughts of what Mrs. Yoake was going to do to them. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry!"

The promise of food urged them to go to The Hangout, despite the consequences. Still, Roxas knew they were in for it.

* * *

**1** If you don't remember (or somehow never played KH1) Sora had Kairi's heart.

**2** I decided to play with Point of View a bit for this chapter. It's being told from Vivi's standpoint at the moment.

**3** Now back to Roxas PoV...

**4 **See Varan's discussion room.

That's it for this chapter! I hope you all liked it! I put a lot of work into it. Yep, Vivi's able to use magic. He's a pretty powerful person too. I wouldn't wanna get in a magic fight with him...

Anywho, school's started for me, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update after this. I'm hoping to be able to at least once a month, but we all know how that goes... Well, see you all when I update, I guess!

* * *

**Varan's Discussion Room**

Hello all! I can't believe it, but I have no questions to answer today, so I'll just straight into explaining magic using.

There are three main types of magic users, but these types can be split up even more. The main categories are decided by the alignment of your heart. If your heart is aligned with the light, you are an enchanter or enchantress. If your heart's dark, you are a witch or wizard (like myself). Those aligned with twilight are called sorcerers and sorceresses. Sorcerers and sorceresses are the rarest. Despite these categories, all users are really the same, regardless of their heart. This doesn't affect what magic they can do. It might make it easier to cast a spell in that particular alignment, but the affects are negligible.

There is also a level of mastery. The types in that are magicians, mages, and apprentices. Magicians, such as myself, are masters of magic. We are considered "knowledgeable" enough to teach others the way of magic. Apprentices, on the other hand, are the students of magicians. Apprentices are still learning magic, and their master is responsible for any messes they may accidentally create. Mages are a step above apprentices. Mages know enough about magic to keep themselves out of trouble and can learn magic from other sources besides their masters. Mages are responsible completely for their own magic.

To become a mage, you have to pass a test given by the Magic Council. Once the apprentice passes, they get a "magic license" and are considered "mature" (responsible) in the magic world. They aren't considered adults until they're legal in whatever world they happen to be in.

There's also a kind of magic that doesn't require any magic power. The spells Donald typically use (fire, blizzard, etc.) are basic spells that were originally designed to give apprentices with powerful magic (like Vivi) a way to release their power without casting something potentially dangerous and to teach the apprentices to focus. It was later discovered that it actually required very little magic to cause the spells to work. It was discovered that non-magic users (like Sora) could use these spells.

Non-magic users are those with little to no magic. I say "little" in the sense that they can't cast spells except for fire, blizzard, and so on. Sora falls under this category. Olette barely slips out of this category, but I doubt she'd be able to do much more than the basic spells.

Anyway, that's it for this discussion room! See you next time!


	26. Legend

Chapter 26: Legend Chapter 26: Legend

When the group reached the Hangout, everything inside was dark. Olette peered through each window, but no one was inside. "That's weird," Olette commented. "It should be open..."

"Place's been closed since you guys disappeared," Seifer said. "You guys do realize there are missing person reports out for all of you." His voice was flat. He was still mad about being called dense and getting electrocuted.

Olette reached of the door's handle and pulled it. The familiar jingling of bells greeted her as the door swung open. "Well, the door's unlocked," she said. "Dad?" she called into the gloom. The tabled were covered in a thin layer of dust, proving what Seifer had said to be true.

The door behind the counter that led to the kitchen opened. "Olette?" her dad asked, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "I'm not dreaming, am I? You're really here?"

Olette dashed up to him and gave him a big hug. "If you're dreaming, I am too! Dad, I've missed you so, so much! I'm sorry for making you worry so much."

Olette's father released his daughter after a few moments and flipped on a light switch. "Hayner! Pence! Roxas! Where have you all been? We've all been worried sick about you!"

"I can explain!" Selena said, waving her arm to attract the man's attention. "Actually, can they call their parents first so I don't have to repeat myself a million times?"

"We know where the phone is," Hayner said, hopping the counter. Roxas and Pence went around the counter. They got there as Hayner was dialing. "What should we say?" he asked Roxas uselessly.

Roxas shrugged and they held their heads close to the phone so they both could hear the other end. There were a couple rings, and then a click.

"Hello, Yoake residence," said a gloomy voice.

"Hi, Mom," Hayner said. "Roxas and I are at the Hangout right now if you want to—" but there was only a dial tone on the other end. "That means she's already on her way here," Hayner told Roxas while he hung up. "We're definitely in hot water."

It seemed to be a similar case with Pence. He'd hardly said where they were before hanging up.

And so they waited. Olette's father disappeared in the back for a little bit with Olette, returning with food for them all. Everyone was happy about this, especially Selena, who hadn't eaten in a couple days.

The door burst open, causing the bell to ring loudly. "Roxas! Hayner!" Mrs. Yoake sobbed. She pulled both boys into a bone-crushing hug. "I thought I'd never see you two again."

"Mom," Hayner grumbled. He was bright red from embarrassment, but Roxas could tell he was enjoying the fuss at his expense.

As for Roxas, he was just happy someone had missed him. It was strange having someone so worried about him. Smiling, he said, "Sorry, Mom."

Pence's parents came in too and swept Pence up in a big bear hug. The Hakumeis**1** looked so happy to see Pence safe and sound. Roxas saw a boy smaller than Vivi tug on Pence's shirt while sucking his thumb. The boy looked like a miniature Pence.

"Ryan!" Pence said, rubbing the boy's head. "Hope you didn't miss me too much, bro!" So the kid was Pence's little brother.

Selena shifted in her chair and cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. "I hate to ruin this reunion, but I'm sure you all want to know where your children have been and what's been going on."

"Who are you?" Mrs. Yoake asked. "What do you have do with our children disappearing, little girl?"

"My name is Selena," she said. She didn't seem bothered by the little girl comment. "I'm actually the one responsible for your children's disappearance. In fact, if I hadn't come here, they probably would have never left."

Roxas glanced at Selena and then at Hayner. Was Selena trying to dig herself into a pit? "For the record," Roxas said quickly, "I probably would have been kidnapped by Nobodies if she hadn't come."

"Nobodies?" Mr. Hakumei asked. He glanced at his son, and said, "Pence, what does he mean by that?"

Selena sighed. "Nobodies are beings that don't have hearts. It's a bit complicated if you don't know what's going on." She took a deep breath and began.

"There are creatures called Heartless that are created from the evil in hearts. They hunt for people with hearts and steal there's, creating more Heartless. What remains of the person whose heart was stolen is a Nobody—a being without emotions or a heart that is living on will power alone. There are Nobodies that keep their human shape—the Organization XIII." She smiled ruefully. "Granted, there aren't thirteen of them left anymore. We've beaten quite a few of them."**2**

Mr. Yume tilted his head. "Are you expecting us to believe this magic mumbo-jumbo?"

"It's not mumbo-jumbo!" Vivi said. "There was guy in black who appeared out of nowhere, and he—"

Seifer cut his friend off. "Anyway, we've seen these Nobody things. The brat's not making them up."

The adults still looked doubtful. They obviously didn't believe anything they were being told.

Roxas decided he had to convince them somehow. He drew his Keyblade and held it up for everyone to see. "This is a Keyblade," he said.

Selena continued for him. "Keyblades are powerful weapons with mysterious powers based on the wielder. They appeared around the same time as the Heartless and are the best defense against them. The Keyblades choose their masters, and one with a Keyblade is doomed to fight the Heartless until they are gone from the Realm."

"'Doomed to fight'? What's with the negativity?" Sora asked with a grin. "I'd fight Heartless no matter what."

Selena looked at her feet. "The Heartless would have probably left your island alone. It was your heart—a heart chosen by the Keyblade—that attracted them."

Hayner went pale. "Wait, does that mean the Heartless will come here?"

"They probably already are here. After all, Seifer and Vivi are here, and they have exceptionally strong hearts." Selena didn't look at anyone as she said this. "The sooner this is all over, the better."

"Then everything will go back to normal, and we won't travel around the worlds anymore," Riku agreed. Still, his voice sounded flat, like he didn't want to stop traveling. "We'll never see each other again."

Donald shook his head. "No way! We're friends, so we'll still see each other! We'll find a way somehow!"

"Once everything's over, you won't remember ever being friends," Selena said sadly. "Time will rewind on itself and it will be like the Heartless never existed. The same goes for Roxas and the Nobodies."

"What do you mean 'same goes for Roxas'?" Olette cried. "Roxas isn't a Nobody!"

"But he was once," Selena said. "If Sora hadn't lost his heart to the Heartless, Roxas would never have existed in the first place. There wouldn't have been a Roxas to bring back, just like there wouldn't have been a Naminé."

Kairi frowned. "So you're saying the Heartless will disappear along with everything they did and no one will remember?"

"There aren't any history books that include the Heartless," Selena pointed out. "You thought the Heartless only existed because Ansem accidentally created them?" She let out a hollow laugh. "Ansem just released the Heartless by accident. They've existed for as long as I can remember."

"But you're only ten, ya know?" Raijin said. "That means the Heartless can't have been around that long."

"Looks can be deceiving. I'm actually over a thousand years old."

"Impossible!" Fujin said.

Selena turned to Fujin. "I assure you, I really am that old." She turned back to everyone else. "For some reason or other, I am not affected by time rewinding. Neither are Varan and the Three Rulers of the Realm. We are able to remember the Heartless and the events that occurred because of them."

Goofy tilted his head and held his chin. "Gawrsh, Rulers of the Realm? Who're they?"

"They rule the Light, Darkness, and Twilight. They're very powerful and, as far as I know, immortal," Selena replied. "They are the keepers of the door to Kingdom Hearts."

"You mean you don't need a bunch of hearts to get in?" Riku asked. He looked surprised, but Roxas didn't know why.

"The door can be summoned by hearts, yes... The Rulers have a key that can open it at any time though."

"What is a Nobody?" Mrs. Yoake blurted out. She'd been listening patiently to their babbling, but enough was enough. "Roxas is just a regular kid, not a Nobody! There's no way he can be caught up in all this..."

Selena closed her eyes and leaned back to gather her thoughts. "I gave Roxas a heart. That is why he's no longer a Nobody. That is my ability."

"Then why give him a heart?" Mr. Hakumei asked. "You make these Nobody things sound bad, but Roxas isn't a bad kid far as I know. If he was an evil Nobody or whatever, why give him a heart?"

Selena opened her eyes. "There's a prophecy in my world that has been passed down for over a thousand years. It's in Ancient Eien, so I'll do my best to translate it.

"_Evil shall bare its fangs once again. The shadowed one shall return. The Keybearer shall not be enough to defeat the Evil when it returns. Only the sky's shadow, wielding Hope and Prophecy, may strike down the beast of evil. With the help of the Stars, the sky, sea, and earth, the Shadow Hero will destroy the Evil and bring the Realm to true peace._"

No one spoke when Selena had finished. It was Mrs. Yoake who broke the foreboding silence. "But what does this have to do with Roxas?"

"I think the Shadow Hero refers to Roxas," she explained. "The _sky's shadow_ is supposed to be the hero that destroys the Evil. And if I remember correctly, Sora means sky."

Sora nodded, but didn't say anything. He had no idea what Selena was getting at with that crazy nonsense she'd just spouted.

Riku was the one to piece it together. "Roxas was Sora's Nobody... You think that's what the prophecy meant?" When Selena nodded, Riku continued with his train of thought. "My name, Riku, means earth, and Kairi means sea. I can see where we fit in all this, but what about Hayner, Pence, and Olette?"

"In Eien, there are four major star constellations. To the east is Hayner the Swordsman; to the north is Olette the Magician; to the west, Pence the Guardian; the south, the King's Protectors Donald and Goofy," Selena explained. "In the center of the night sky is Naminé the Dreamer."

"It has to be a coincidence," Seifer said, shrugging.

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Hayner teased. "Are you jealous 'cause we were chosen and you weren't?"

Seifer blushed and shouted, "Like I'd want to be part of all this crazy stuff!"

"There's no such thing as coincidence in this world. There's only fate."**3** Selena's eyes wandered from face to face until she'd made eye contact with everyone in the restaurant. "There is always a reason behind everything."

"Gawrsh, but if everything in that prophecy thing means somethin', what's the beast of evil or whatever ya called it?" Goofy asked thoughtfully.

Frowning, Selena said, "The Heartless and Nobodies have existed for generations. The _beast of evil_ in the prophecy refers to the Shadow Dragon, a creature made of pure evil and malice. It eats the heart and soul of whoever has the misfortune to release it." She shook her head. "It is the cause of all of this. The Keybearer is supposed to find the one possessed by the Shadow Dragon, defeat him, and return the Realm to temporary peace."

"Temporary peace?" Olette repeated. "But doesn't the Dragon get killed?"

"No. It gets sealed away. Time then rewinds on itself, and it's as if the Heartless and Nobodies had never existed. The only thing missing is the one whose heart and soul was eaten—he or she is found dead from unknown causes."

"Then why defeat the thing?" Raijin asked. "If time rewinds and no one remembers for it ta just get sealed, it would be better to leave things the way they are, ya know?"

"Then there would be many who would no longer exist. After a Heartless is defeated, the heart goes to Kingdom Hearts and awaits the Keybearer to seal the Dragon. It's impossible for them to return unless Kingdom Hearts is opened, and until recently, the only way for the Keybearer to do that was to defeat the Dragon."

"But you said _destroy_," Roxas pointed out. "Does that mean that I'm supposed to finish this dragon once and for all?"

"That would be my guess."

This irritated Mrs. Yoake. "You guess? You aren't positive? Why not ask your silly profit what they meant by all that gibberish?"

"I'm afraid the profit died when I was young," Selena replied flatly. She stood. "It's getting late."

Roxas glanced at the clock in the restaurant. It was almost eight o'clock. Had they really been running around that long?

Olette was ecstatic. "I get to sleep in my own bed! I've missed home so much! Okay! Kairi, Naminé, and Selena'll be sleeping over my house!"

Hayner glanced hopefully at Mrs. Yoake, who nodded. "Then Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy'll crash with us."

And with that, everyone headed home.

**1** Hakumei is Japanese for "dusk." Ironic, since Pence got turned into one. XD

**2** Actually, only four of them are down for the count...

**3** Readers of XXXHolic will recognize this line.

So that's it for this chapter! Sorry it took so long to update this one. :-D I've been runnin' around like a nut, and there were other things needing updated. As always, thanks for reading. Tell me if I made any mistakes!

Varan's Discussion Room

Today, I'm going to simply answer questions, as Sailorstar wants to get this posted ASAP...

Fluteplayer asks, 'Have you ever been to Narnia? And I would to like to know a little more about amulets.' Well, I actually have been to Narnia recently. It's a nice place to visit, but I definitely wouldn't want to live there.

As for amulets, they are magical necklaces that can do all sorts of things. Some increase your magical potential. Others give you good luck. Still others can give you strange powers or protect you from the powers of others (like anti-curse amulets). It all depends on the symbols and magic used on them. Roxas's necklace from the beginning was an amulet of sorts, in fact. The rune was designed to help amnesiacs regain their lost memories, especially those who had lost it to powerful magic.

Danni Lea asks, 'How do you know what your heart is aligned with? What more do you know about it too?' I'm afraid I can't get into too much detail, since I'm pressed for time. There are simple magic tests to know a heart's alignment. There are also those who know just by looking at people. Selena can tell by looking at people, while I can use basic magic to find out. You can also tell when the person casts a spell, as their alignment is in the spell. If you know how and where to look for it in the spell, it's easy to tell. I'm afraid it's too complicated for a non-magic user to be able to tell by looking at spells. It's more of an art than a science.

Well, that's all this time! I hope I'll be able to talk to you more next time!


	27. Lost

**Chapter 27: Lost**

Sorry for lack of updates! I got started with other stories and... well... I kinda forgot about this one. Sorry!

Anywho, a few important things were brought to my attention last chapter. I apologize that my story now lacks cannon-ness, but... I had plotted this out ages ago, as in 7th grade, suck at writing a half-decent story ages ago. I'm afraid that this was what I came up with, and to this day I still haven't come up with anything better. (laughs at own patheticness). Anywho, I'll do my best with what I've got, so please bear with me.

Without further ado, here's the chapter.

* * *

Hayner and Roxas were bombarded by questions when they arrived home, many of which they didn't have answers to. Of course, Mrs. Yoake didn't believe a word of what they said and said they were grounded for the rest of their lives and weren't allowed to ever leave the house ever again.

"Well, that's not gonna work..." Hayner muttered as his mom started getting sleeping arrangements for Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy. "Mom, we have to save the world and all. You heard Selena."

"I don't buy a word of it," she replied. "I was listening before to be polite, but I'm not going to allow you both to get into trouble like that." She rounded on Sora and Riku. "And you two will call your parents _this instant_."

Riku and Sora exchanged glances. "That's kind of hard, since they live in another world and all," Riku muttered.

Mrs. Yoake glared. "Keep lying and your nose'll grow. I'm shocked it hasn't already."

Sora shrugged. "Pinocchio's the only person I know whose nose grows."

Mrs. Yoake let out a cry of frustration and stormed off. Roxas had never seen her so mad. "I think we overdid it..." Roxas muttered to the others, who nodded.

Hayner dialed the phone. "You should see her when I fail tests at school. Trust me, this is noth—Hi Olette!" He grinned and flopped down on the couch. "You were only threatened? Man, we're already grounded for life and then some. I think if Mom could, she'd hang up by the ears out the window." He laughed at something Olette said. "So, does your dad at least believe you?" He paused, listening. "That's better than my folks. They—" he waited again for Olette to finish what she was saying. "Huh. Okay, I'll try that. Thanks." He hit the off button on the cordless.

"Well? What'd she say?" Roxas asked.

"She's grounded if she runs off again," Hayner said with a shrug. "Pence's in the same boat as us. She called him and his parents won't let him on the phone." He yawned and stretched. "Olette's got the advantage of havin' Selena there to explain it all. We get Sora and Riku, and Mom thinks they're just runaways."

"And what're we, chopped liver?" Donald tapped his foot impatiently.

"So you think you can convince Mom we haven't been brainwashed?" Hayner asked, cracking open an eye.

"What'd Olette suggest?" Roxas asked.

"Suggested we do some of our tricks. You know, you and Sora uses his Keyblade, Donald uses some magic, that kind of thing." Hayner yawned again. "She didn't buy it in the restaurant when you showed her your Keyblade, so chances are she'll ignore anything else we do. Nothin' short of a Heartless versus Nobody battle will convince her."

Roxas sighed. Hayner was right. "Maybe I could call Axel and have him do some fire tricks," he said, but it wasn't really a suggestion.

Too bad Hayner took it that way. "Hey! That would work! Axel's a Nobody—technically—and he can do cool stuff!"

"I was kidding!" Roxas said, but now that he'd gotten Hayner started, there was no stopping him. "Whatever. I'm going to bed. 'Night, everyone."

The phone rang, and Hayner answered. "Huh?" he asked into the receiver. "Uh... sure. One sec. Hey, Roxas," he held the phone out, "phone."

Confused, Roxas took the phone. "Hello?"

_"Hey, what that kid said... was she telling the truth?"_ It was Seifer, and he sounded worried.

"Yeah," Roxas said bluntly. He was getting tired of everyone not believing them.

_"Then Vivi really... can do magic?"_

"Where're you going with this?"

There was a pause on the other end, and then, _"Vivi... was kind of excited. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't getting his hopes up."_ Again, a pause. _"So... uh... Who's this teacher she mentioned?"_

"Not sure," Roxas admitted. "Maybe she meant Varan—she's a friend of Selena's." He wracked his brain for any other magicians they'd met. Selena couldn't have meant Maleficent—she'd scare Vivi to death. The man they'd met in Wonderland couldn't be the one Selena referred to, either. Then he remembered. "Yen Sid!"

_"Who's that?"_

"He's a wizard who lives around here. His train started that whole Ghost Train rumor." Roxas wracked his brain for details. "Um... I think he taught a king or something..."

_"What? A king?"_ Seifer whistled, impressed. _"Man, Vivi'll be happy to hear that one. Or scared out of his mind."_

Roxas laughed. "Anything else?" he asked.

_"Yeah... What'd she mean with all that prophecy mumbo-jumbo?"_

It took Roxas a while to answer, but at last he said, "I'm not sure."

_"Do you believe any of it?"_

"I... don't know," Roxas muttered. "Sorry, I have to go."

_"Don't leave without sayin' goodbye this time,"_ Seifer said, and Roxas could tell by his tone that he was grinning. _"Vivi'll wanna say bye,"_ he added, to make sure Roxas hadn't mistaken his words for _him_ wanting to say goodbye.

"Sure. See ya."

"So what was that all about?" Hayner asked when Roxas hung up.

"Seifer just wanted some answers." Roxas put the cordless phone back on the charger and yawned. "Nothing too big."

"Wish Mom was as easy to convince as Seifer," Hayner muttered. "Well, 'night guys." He followed Roxas up the stairs. "Hey, you gonna be okay? You've been kinda out of it since we went to the restaurant."

"...Do you think Selena just revived me for that prophecy?"

Hayner tilted his head. "What...? Is that what you're on about?"

"She said that she gave me a heart because of that prophecy," Roxas explained. He knew it was pointless to talk to Hayner about it. He wouldn't understand. He had to try, though. "What if there wasn't some prophecy? Do you think she'd have brought me back?"

"Hmmm..." Hayner chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Dunno. That's one you'd have to ask her."

"Thanks for the help," Roxas said. "What's Olette's number?"

"She's pro'bly already asleep," Hayner said. "She's the early to bed type. Pretty sure all the girls are."

Sighing, Roxas nodded. "See ya in the morning, then," he mumbled before going into his room. It was exactly how they'd left it, except maybe a little dustier. Roxas opened the window but thought better of it when he shivered. He closed the window and crawled into bed.

Despite being tired, Roxas couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he'd start thinking about what Selena had said. Had she just brought him back for a prophecy? Did she just see him as a tool? As something that could be used and just thrown out when his usefulness ran out? Roxas didn't know the answers. He'd hoped that they were friends, but now he wasn't sure. How much did he know about her, after all?

He rolled over in frustration, then sat up. His clock read midnight. Was it really that late?

Groaning, Roxas got up. _I'll get a drink or something,_ he thought. He went down to the kitchen and got a glass of water. He sipped the cold water and couldn't help but think again about what he was to Selena. It wasn't like she'd betrayed him, really. She'd brought him back and hadn't forced him to do anything he didn't want to do, but that didn't mean she hadn't brought him back wanting him to choose the path he had.

_Did I even get a choice?_ he thought. _Did she plan for me to choose what I did?_ She had brought him back, after all. Who's to say she didn't also plant a bunch of fake feelings in his heart using Naminé? _But... Naminé would've told me if that were the case, wouldn't she?_

Roxas thought hard. _If anyone can tell me, it'd be them..._ Roxas thought, closing his eyes. But the people he wanted to see usually called _him_ to their strange world. He'd never gone there himself of his own will.

"Please..." he whispered. "I need to see them..." He gripped his chest. He was linked to Selena's heart and soul. They created him, after all.

The glass of water slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor with a loud crash.

* * *

The familiar emptiness engulfed Roxas, but it wasn't like all the other times. He was falling rather than standing on something solid. He tried to open his eyes, but it was like something was keeping them shut. He tried to lift an arm, but couldn't. He couldn't move at all.

"Idiot."

Roxas felt a hand take his and jerk him harshly. He stumbled, suddenly able to move and open his eyes. He glanced up at the two women he'd wanted to see. Both were frowning at him.

"What'd I do?" he asked.

The white woman was about to speak, but the black woman spoke first, cutting her off. "You came here on your own, that's what. Do you have any idea what could've happened if we hadn't noticed you?"

The Soul sighed at the Heart. "Roxas, you could have disappeared. You aren't strong enough to survive in this place very long. It destroys your very being if you aren't protected."

Roxas gulped. So that's what he'd done.

"Why'd you want to come here anyway? It's not like it's exciting or anything."

"I have a question."

"No duh."

Roxas glared at the Heart, but continued with what he'd been about to say. "Did Selena bring me back just for the prophecy thing? Am I just... a tool to her?"

The Soul thought a moment, as did the Heart. This time she was able to speak first. "Selena did bring you back for the prophecy," she said steadily, "but you are not just a tool to her."

The Heart gave the Soul a dark look. "Oh yeah, tell him that. Get him upset before we send him back. Smart move."

"I am only telling the truth."

It felt like someone stabbed a knife into Roxas and twisted it. "Then what am I?" he asked. "What am I too her?"

This time, the Heart answered. "For lack of better description, you're like her child."

"I'm like... what?"

"You are of her flesh and blood," the Soul explained. "You were born from her blood, your heart from her wings, and your soul from her tears. You are a part of her, just as she is a part of you."

The Heart could tell Roxas was still confused. "Think about it. A mother carries her baby inside of her until it's born. That baby has its mother's blood running through its veins that whole time. Its heart and soul are also connected to its mother. In a way, you're like that."

"I... still don't get it," Roxas muttered.

The Heart again rolled her eyes. She came closer and reached into Roxas's chest and pulled out a shimmering object. Roxas's eyes widened at the sight of his heart. It looked like a jewel partially crystallized around a feather.

"Selena's not carrying you around like a real mother, but your heart is still connected to hers until this feather disappears," the Heart explained before putting it back in its place. "Until that's separate, your soul's the same way. Really, your blood's the only thing not connected to Selena since you're not _physically_ connected. Why do you think we can drag you here?"

Roxas nodded. It was starting to make sense. "So... Selena brought me back for the prophecy, but now she doesn't see me as something to use."

"She never saw you as something to use," the Soul said. "She may have had reasons to bring you into this world, but what mother doesn't? No mother will admit it, but what reason do they have to have children? It certainly isn't because they love the child before she's even carrying it."**1**

"Seriously," the Heart said, crossing her arms, "she never thought of you as a tool. Maybe as the Shadow Hero from the prophecy, but never a tool. Trust me, she loves you like a mother."

"But..."

"If you're going to ask 'how can I trust you,' look at who you're talking too! If we don't know what Selena thinks, then we're in trouble." The Heart grinned.

_"Roxas!"_

Roxas stared around the emptiness but couldn't tell where the voice came from.

"Your friends are calling you," the Soul stated. "You should go back."

Roxas nodded and the emptiness disappeared.

* * *

"Roxas! Oh, thank God!"

Roxas blinked up at Mrs. Yoake's face, at first not registering whom it was staring down at him. "I thought you were dead," the woman sobbed.

"I'm alive, last I checked," Roxas said, sitting up.

Hayner rolled his eyes. "Tried to tell her this was normal, but she wasn't listening to me." Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy were standing with him, none worried.

"How could him fainting and practically not breathing be _normal_?" Mrs. Yoake snapped at her son.

"It happens all the time," Roxas replied. He felt a sharp pain in his arm. There was a glass shard sticking out of it. He plucked it out before Mrs. Yoake could stop him. It wasn't too bad an injury. A bandage, maybe a little disinfectant, and it would be perfectly fine.

Mr. Yoake brought just that and started bandaging Roxas's arm. "We're just glad you're all right."

"Mom," Roxas asked Mrs. Yoake, "we need to go fight the Heartless and the Nobodies. I know you don't believe any of it, but we can't just let—"

A dark portal appeared in the kitchen. Roxas jumped up and drew his Keyblades, only to relax when he saw it was Demyx.

"What's happenin'?" Demyx asked, grinning at the shock on Mr. and Mrs. Yoake's faces.

"We should be asking you that," Hayner said. "What's so important you barge in here in the middle of the night."

"Is it the middle of the night?" Demyx asked, looking to the clock on the wall. "Wow, being inside all the time really throws a guy off, ya know?" He grinned. "Anyway, Vexen and Luxord are headin' to Agrabah for some reason. Might wanna head there when everyone else wakes up." He waved, stepped backward into his dark portal, and vanished without a trace.

"What would they want in Agrabah?" Hayner asked Sora, assuming he knew the place.

"Genies?" Sora shrugged. "We should get there anyway. No telling what kind of trouble they're gonna cause." He yawned. "Well, when everyone else's is up."

Riku rolled his eyes and smacked Sora on the head. "We should get going _now_. The sooner we get there, the better."

"Who was that?" Mr. Yoake asked Roxas. Unlike his wife, Mr. Yoake seemed to believe their story about the Heartless and Nobodies to a certain extent.

"That was Demyx, a Nobody," Roxas replied. "He's on our side and spies on the Nobodies for us."

He watched Sora and Riku argue about whether or not they should leave right then or wait for morning. Donald joined in on Riku's side, and that was the end of the discussion.

"I'll call Olette," Hayner volunteered before going to the phone and dialing. "Yeah, Mr. Yume? Sorry to call so late, but I have to talk to Olette."

Roxas glanced at Mrs. Yoake. "We—"

"Just make sure to come _back_," Mrs. Yoake said. "Promise me you won't be gone for so long and will come back in one piece and you can go."

"Of course we will!" Roxas said, hugging the woman. "Thanks, Mom!"

Roxas and Hayner changed out of their pajamas and came back down to find the girls and Pence very sleepy at the kitchen table. Only Selena seemed to be awake, and her excuse was insomnia from too much sleep.

"See ya, Mom," Hayner said, giving his Mom a hug. "Later, Dad."

"We'll be back before you know it," Roxas said before leading the group outside. "Oh, and tell Vivi I'm sorry I couldn't say bye!" And then they were on the Gummi flying at top speed.

* * *

**1 **Sorry to disillusion anyone, but it's true: how can you love something that doesn't even _exist_ yet? Please don't complain about that. Thank you.

Sorry for the lack of updates for so long! I had other fics that needed updating and... well... a friend wanted me to finish an original story offline. Now that that's done, I'll probably update a little more often. Thank you for your patience!

**Varan's Discussion Room**

Hello again! It's been a while, but I'm here to answer more questions for you all!

Flueplayer08 asks, "Could it be possible that an ancestor of Sora or Riku have been a Keyblade master?" Well, that's a distinct possibility. I'm afraid Selena and I don't get involved with every Keyblade master's quest to seal the Heartless, so I honestly don't know. I don't know Sora and Riku's ancestry either, so I honestly have no idea. Fluteplayer08 also asks, "What if someone's ancestor was one? Does that make them a Keyblade master too?" Well, no. It doesn't mean you are a Keyblade master nor that you can wield a Keyblade. You see, a Keyblade _master_ is one who forges his or her own Keyblade from their heart (like Riku). A Key_bearer_ is someone who was chosen by a Keyblade (like Kairi). By this logic, neither Sora or Roxas as Keyblade masters.

Lastly, Fluteplayer08 asks, "If time rewinds, doesn't that mean Sora and Riku never met Kairi?" That's a sticky question. Yes, it'll rewind to before they met, since it was because of the Heartless that Kairi fled to Sora and Riku's world with her grandmother. They wouldn't remember meeting Kairi because it never happened, I'm afraid.

Also, Sailorstar would like to thank Saitaina R. Moricia for her long, very helpful review. She has taken into mind what you said and would change it if she could. As she said earlier, the concept for this story was created a long time ago in the Bronze Age of her writing. She hopes that you will continue reading and put up with her childish mistakes.

Oh, and Sailorstar wanted me to hint at you guys that there's another bonus coming besides just my discussion room. She won't say what, but she says if you guys like Vivi, you'll love it. (shrugs)


	28. The Land Lost in Sand

**Chapter 28: The Land Lost in Sand**

"What would they want here?" Hayner asked, taking off his shoe and dumping sand out of it for the twenty-seventh time.

They'd landed in the desert not far from the city. Of course, even in the city the ground was still soft and sandy and got in their shoes regardless of what they did to try and keep it out. The only ones unfazed by this were Sora, Kairi, and Riku, though Donald and Goofy didn't seem to care.

"Babies," Donald muttered as they walked through the market where no one seemed to be. "It's not that bad."

"Says the one not wearing shoes," Hayner pointed out.

"You know, I thought it would be hotter around here," Olette said, absently tracing designs in the sand with her shoe.

"It usually is hot," Sora replied. He shaded his eyes and looked up at the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight, nothing to hold back the onslaught of heat that should have been there. "It's actually kind of... chilly today."

"It's probably Vexen's doing." Roxas looked around for any sign of the Nobody in question. When he didn't see him, he continued, "Vexen doesn't like hot places, so he probably blasted the temperature down a couple dozen degrees."

"That would explain why it's so chil—" Pence put his hands in his pocket, "—ly?" He patted all his pockets. "Where'd my wallet go?"  
Riku slapped his forehead. "Idiot. You have to watch your pockets around here."

"Not like we don't know who stole it," Donald muttered. He pointed at the monkey hanging off one of the walls. "Abu! Get back here!"

The monkey chattered, waved the wallet it stole from Pence proudly, then shimmied up the wall into a window.

"Don't worry," Sora said with a laugh. "We know how to get up there."

Sora led them around the city, through a few doorways, and down an alley. From there, they climbed up into what looked like an abandoned apartment. Except it wasn't abandoned.

Abu was sitting on the windowsill, staring wide-eyed at the people he thought he'd ditched. A man with dark skin and even darker hair looked up from the wallet he'd been inspecting.

"Sora! Should've known you guys were here when Abu brought this back." He patted Sora on the shoulder, but Roxas noticed that he didn't put down Pence's wallet.

"Hey Aladdin!" Sora said, snatching the wallet from Aladdin's hand and tossing it back to Pence. "What've you been up to?"

"Besides freezing?" the thief asked sarcastically before sitting down on a couple worn pillows. "It's okay right now, but it gets really cold at night."

"We're tryin' ta find the culprit," Goofy explained. He glanced at Roxas for a description of Vexen.

"The guy we're looking for is old with blonde hair," Roxas said. He didn't know how much help his description would be, but judging by the few people they'd passed on the way here, blonde hair stood out quite a bit. "He wears a black coat and—"

Allen held up a hand, signaling for Roxas to stop. "Say no more." He stood back up and pointed out the window. "See that old tower?" he asked. "That's where that guy's supposed to be. I was flying on Carpet and saw him going in there."

The group crowded around the window and tried to see what Aladdin was pointing at. It took a few minutes, but they at last saw the lone tower miles out in the desert.

"Can we borrow Carpet?" Sora asked.

"Sure," Aladdin said with a nod. "Carpet'll be glad to see you."

"Carpet?" Olette repeated. She looked just as confused as they others.

They weren't confused for very long. The carpet they were standing on pulled out from under them and stood on two of its tassels. It waved with it other two tassels.

"So this is Carpet," Riku said, a small smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, Carpet." He shook the one tassel, like a handshake. "Sora's said a lot about you."

"Have not!"

"Have to," Kairi said with a giggle. "You kept saying how awesome it was to ride on him and that you couldn't wait to see him."

Sora scratched his cheek in embarrassment, while the carpet scuffed its one tassel on the ground like one would scuff their feet. Apparently, they both couldn't wait to see each other again.

"Come on! Let's go!" Sora said, distracting everyone from the moment of embarrassment. He hopped on the carpet.

"There's one problem with that," Naminé whispered.

"What's that?" Donald asked, climbing on behind Sora.

"There's not enough room for all of us."

Sora did a quick mental count, then looked down at the carpet he was sitting on. "You're right... Hey carpet, got any friends?"

"We have Tinkerbell," Selena reminded them. "Fairy dust works in the world it's sprinkled in. We should be able to fly all right." She glanced over at Kairi.

"Oh right!" Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "Tinkerbell, we need you!"

A small light flickered to life at the top, then flew away from the Keyblade. The little pixie glanced around, a little confused but not shocked as to where they were. She was used to other worlds, apparently. Tinkerbell flew around the room, checking out the new place.

"Tink, we need pixie dust," Sora said.

Tinkerbell turned, nodded, and thoroughly covered Sora with the sparkling dust.

"Not me! They need it!"

Tinkerbell pursed her lips, a little mad that Sora hadn't appreciated her efforts. She tinkled angrily and turned away from Sora.

"Please?"

Tinkerbell glanced back at Sora, nodded after considering his request, then covered everyone else with the dust. Apparently, she'd forgotten she was mad at Riku before and didn't try to drown him in the dust like last time.

That done, Sora turned back to Aladdin. "You coming?"

"Nah, I think I'll sit this one out," Aladdin replied.

"Jasmine expecting you?" Sora teased.

Aladdin only grinned in answer.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Catch up later, would you? We need to catch Vexen!"

"Right." Sora patted the carpet and then held on tight. Roxas noticed Donald and Goofy did the same, but he didn't have long to watch before the carpet shot off with his friends holding on for dear life.

The others followed suit using the pixie dust. The carpet was faster than the inexperienced flyers, but they all reached the tower without any trouble. This struck Roxas as strange. They didn't meet a single Heartless or Nobody on their way. It was as if they were expected.

When Roxas told the others his thoughts, Riku admitted having similar thoughts, as did Naminé, Selena, Kairi, and Olette. It seemed that the guys besides Riku and Roxas hadn't noticed in the least.

"No worries!" Sora said brightly as he climbed off the carpet. "They're probably just keeping all the Heartless and Nobodies inside for us when we get inside."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "If that's the case, we _should_ worry. There could be too many for us to handle."

"We can take 'em!" Hayner said, drawing his sword. He threw open the door and marched inside.

"Hayner, you're being reckless again!" Olette cried, chasing after the idiot.

"Look who's talking," Pence mumbled, following them both.

"Well, there goes our element of surprise," Kairi said. "Still, it's like they're expecting us. That door could've easily been locked..."

"The Keyblade can open any lock, remember?" Sora grinned as he drew his Keyblade to show it off. "There's no point."

Selena frowned. "This place still smells like—"

The group inside screamed.

"—a trap." Selena slapped her forehead. "Joy."

Riku rolled his eyes. "Let's go save them from whatever's in there."

Sora led the way inside the building. The place was shambles, and Roxas had to wonder if Olette had seen a mouse and her scream caused the others to as well. There were certainly enough rodents scrambling away from their approach.

The hallway was straight and narrow and a dead end as far as Roxas could tell, yet there was no sign of their friends. Nothing seemed out of place, there was no sign of a scuffle, so where had they gone?

They didn't have to wait long for their answer. Donald stepped on one of the floor tiles, which sunk in. At first, nothing happened, then a wall opened up, revealing a door.

"What kind of person makes it that easy to get in?" Sora asked, pushing the door open.

"One who wants to separate you, boy."

Sora swung around just in time to see a chasm open up below Riku and the others. On the other side stood Luxord, a small smile on his face as he applauded. "And now for the finally," he said, nodding to something behind Sora.

Again, Sora turned just in time to see the door burst open and a block force its way through the doorway and knock him in the chasm as well.

* * *

The bottom of the giant hole was covered in soft, fine sand, and Sora thanked his lucky stars when he fell into that rather than smashing into stone. Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Sora realized that the others were nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for someone?"

Sora turned toward the voice and flinched back at the sudden light as two spotlights flashed on, revealing all of his friends trapped in ice. Luxord was leaning against the small columns, shuffling his deck of cards as he watched Sora's reaction.

"Let them go!" Sora shouted, drawing his Keyblade.

"Come now, no need for violence. I just want to play a little game with you."

"Where's Vexen," Sora growled.

"In hiding. We wouldn't want you killing him to rescue your friends, now would we?" Luxord smirked and started walking towards him. "Not until we have our wager, at least."

"What wager?"

"If you win, we let your friends go and you can beat us to a bloody pulp," Luxord explained with a shrug. "If you lose, we let your friends go, but you have to come with us. Simple, isn't it?"

Sora tilted his head. He couldn't figure out what Luxord's angle was with this one. Why would they want _him_? Weren't they after Roxas? "I doubt you'd just let them walk away."

"We will if you come willingly," Luxord replied.

Sora thought for a moment, then agreed to the proposal. "What's the game?"

"It'll be a best of three games," Luxord explained, a glint in his eye. "We'll play three games, and whoever wins two of the three is the victor. And since I'm feeling generous, I'll let you pick the games."

Sora glanced over at his friends, all of them seemingly asleep. "Fine. Checkers, then."

Luxord nodded, and a small table made of ice appeared in front of them. The top was a checkerboard, and small colored ice disks served as the checkers. "Thanks, Vexen," he called, but didn't take his eyes off Sora so he'd have no idea where the ice Nobody was hiding.

Both sat down in the glass-like chairs. Surprisingly, the ice making the chairs wasn't cold in the least. Sora touched the table and the checkers, and none of them were cold either. It was like everything was made of glass and not ice.

"What? Didn't think Vexen could change the temperature of his ice?" Luxord laughed and moved his first checker. "Your move, boy."

Sora moved, then Luxord. The game continued and seemed to last forever with neither gaining an advantage over the other. Sora was careful to watch for any attempts at cheating. Luxord was tricky, he knew, which was why he'd chosen a practically cheat-proof game like checkers. There wasn't any way Sora couldn't catch him in the act if he tried.

Despite this, Luxord still won. They'd each had three pieces left, and Sora had been forced to move a piece a certain way so as to allow Luxord to jump all his remaining checkers. Sora glared at the board, then up at Luxord.

"You win some, you lose some," Luxord said, basking in the glory of victory. "What's your next game?"

Sora thought for a few more minutes. What games were he good at that were cheat-proof? Then one came to him. "Guitar Hero!" he blurted out.

"What now?" Luxord said, a little taken aback.

"It's a video game with guitars," Vexen's voice said, coming from seemingly nowhere. "Demyx's is getting it for you now."

A dark portal opened, and Demyx pushed a cart with a TV and two guitars out. He grinned sheepishly for a moment, then went back into his portal. "It's all set up. Just turn it on." And with that, he vanished.

"Oh bugger,"**1** Luxord muttered, picking up the guitar-shaped controller and looking at it uncomfortably.

Sora grinned. He'd guessed right that Luxord wouldn't know a thing about the greatness known as Guitar Hero**2 **and that the Nobody wouldn't stand a chance, especially if he picked _that_ song. "One song," Sora challenged. "Whoever gets the highest score wins this round."

"Fine," Luxord mumbled angrily.

Sora scrolled through all the songs, impressed by what he assumed were Demyx's high scores. He made a mental note to never challenge the cowardice Nobody like he had the gambler next to him. After a few moments of pretending to debate about which song, he went straight to the ultimate finisher: Through the Fire and the Flames.**3**

"Oh bugger..." Luxord said as the song started. He gawked at Sora a moment, who was hitting every note on _expert_ mode. He knew he was in trouble, even before he hit his watered-down easy version and couldn't play it. The boy was either smarter than he looked and had a plan for their little game, or he was a very good guesser when it came to what Luxord was bad at. Luxord wasn't the best checker player in the world. He'd only manage to win by pure luck. _Why couldn't he have chosen poker?_ he thought as Sora picked up where Luxord's part left off.

The song eventually ended, and Sora was the victor. "You win some, you lose some," the wielder of the Keyblade quoted brightly. "That's one and one."

"It's not over yet," Luxord grunted. "Pick your last game!"

Sora thought hard, but no games came to mind. He could play Tens and Twos, but he knew the Nobody could easily cheat at that one since it was a card game. He also considered Jenga, but he'd never been good at that one. He couldn't think of any other video games that he was good at, so that plan went out the window.

After a few minutes of thinking, Sora gave up and said, "Tic-tac-toe."

The Nobody blinked. "Tic-tac-toe?" he repeated. "That game five-year-olds like playing?"

"You heard me. Tic-tac-toe. Get out a piece of paper."

Luxord shrugged and produced a paper and pen from his coat pocket. He set it down on the ice checker table and signaled for Sora to sit down. "You first," he said, offering Sora the pen.

Sora took the pen and placed an X in the center. Luxord put a circle to the right of the X. The game continued with each blocking the other's three-in-a-row. It didn't take long for them to tie the game.

Sora grinned. "Now what?" he asked. "It's a tie."

Luxord smiled. "What do you mean _now what_? I've won."

"What?"

"Remember our bet?" Luxord said, his smile turning into an evil grin. "If you won, I'd let you and your friends go."

"Yeah, and then you said—" Sora stopped mid-sentence. "And then you said that if I didn't win..."

"You'd be coming with us," Vexen finished, appearing right behind Sora and forcing his arms behind his back with one hand and grabbing a handful of hair with the other. "A tie means neither of you won."

Sora tried to struggle, but Luxord pulled out a foul-smelling cloth and held it over Sora's nose and mouth. Sora tried to pull away, tried to get fresh air, but it was no use. Vexen held him in place, and the soaked cloth was making him dizzy. The last thing he remembered seeing was Roxas opening his eyes from his ice prison before everything went dark.

* * *

Roxas watched as Sora was dragged away into a dark portal, but the cold was making him too drowsy to realize what was going on. He felt numb all over, especially the parts of him trapped in the ice. He struggled to stay awake, but soon drifted off again.

The next thing Roxas knew, he felt warm air against his face and one arm. He glanced over to one side and recognized the dark-skinned youth. "Aladdin?" he asked, not quite sure what was going on.

Aladdin stopped chipping away at the ice with the hilt of his saber. "Should I ask what's goin' on here?"

Roxas summoned his Oathkeeper Keyblade. "It's a long story. Get Olette and Donald out of the ice. I'll help once I get myself out."

"Oh yeah! Donald can do magic!" Aladdin abandoned his progress on Roxas's icy prison to go chip away at Donald's.

Roxas swung his Keyblade as hard as he could at his prison. Only a little of the ice broke off, but he cracked quite a bit of the rest. Grinning, Roxas continued with his work until he was freed completely and then turned to get Olette out of the ice as well.

By the time Donald was free and coherent enough to melt the ice, the warm air that seeped into the once freezing darkness had mostly melted the ice. The warm air had woken the others as well and so they were working to free themselves as soon as an arm was free. With the help of fire magic, the group was out within the hour.

"Where's Sora?" Kairi asked, glancing around the group of faces.

"I think Luxord took him," Roxas replied, hanging his head. "I don't know where they were headed or anything like that. I just remember seeing them with a portal and Sora being unconscious."

Riku shook his head. "Sora's a moron," he muttered crossly. He dug in his pockets until he retrieved the little wooden bird they'd used to find and rescue Selena. "Little birdie, hear my plea. Come to life and fly for me."

The little wooden bird stretched its wings and bowed to Riku. "Oh sir, what may I do? How is it that I can serve you?" it asked in its little tweeting voice.

"It is Sora you have to find," Riku stated. "That is what I have in mind."

The bird nodded and took off. It flew up into the air, turned this way and that in the air as it fluttered in place, then landed on Riku's shoulder. "He's in a town of dark and light, in a castle made of white."

Roxas slapped his forehead. "Don't tell me... The World that Never Was?"

Riku repeated Roxas's question to the bird, making sure it rhymed so the creature could understand.

"Yes, yes! That is where! There is where you'll find your friend with spiky hair!" The bird folded its wings, stiffened, and became a wood carving again.

"Then let's go!" Hayner said impatiently.

"But that's the stronghold of the Nobodies!" Selena interjected. "There's no way we'll get in and out no problem."

"Axel can help us," Naminé said. "He can tell us where Sora is."

They all turned to Roxas hopefully. Roxas closed his eyes and hoped to God that Axel would contact him. He knew they were waiting for a message from Axel.

_"What's going on?!"_ came Axel's voice at last in Roxas's head. _"Luxord showed up with Sora like he's some kind of trophy!"_

_"It's 'cause Xemnas came up with a plan to replace Roxas,"_ Demyx butted in to explain. _"You guys gotta get here ASAP! Who knows what they're gonna do to Sora if you don't hurry!"_

_"I got it, I got it,"_ Roxas replied, nodding. _"We'll hurry. Just make sure we can get in."_

_"Already on it,"_ came Lexaeus's voice. _"Everything will be ready when you get here."_

_"Right."_ Roxas opened his eyes. "Axel, Demyx, and Lexaeus are already getting things ready for us to get there. We just have to hurry before they do whatever they're gonna do to Sora."

"Did they say what they were going to do?" Olette asked worriedly.

"No. They just said Xemnas had a plan to replace me."

Aladdin listened to the whole conversation patiently. He was so quiet, they'd almost forgotten him. "I don't really get what's going on, but save Sora," he said, handing Roxas what looked like a long, gold teapot. "Genie'll help you if you rub the lamp."

Roxas looked down at the lamp, then nodded to Aladdin. "We'll do our best. Thank you."

Aladdin clapped Roxas on the shoulder, then whistled. Carpet whooshed out of the darkness and stopped in front of them. "I'll get you all out of this pit, then you can go to wherever you need to go."

Roxas nodded and handed the lamp to Kairi. She was the Summoner, after all.

They road up to the surface and out of the building. Well, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin did. They others were still covered in pixie dust. Once up top, Aladdin bid them farewell and good luck.

"We'll do our best," Roxas said even as Aladdin flew away. _We have to._

* * *

**1** I'm not sure if it's true, but I've heard many people say Luxord's British...

**2** I am not the greatest Guitar Hero player ever. I barely qualify as decent. I'm not a huge fan, but Sora (as far as this fic is concerned) is.

**3** As far as I know, that song is the GH equivalent of Max 300 in DDR. Sorry if I'm wrong, but I only know of one person who can play that song, and that's more than likely because he has _way_ too much free time.

Ugh... It's been too long since I've written in this fic. XD Sorry for the lack of update, guys! I'll try to write more often! Today, Varan's Discussion Room will be omitted because no one asked her any questions and I can't think of any topics needing discussion at the moment. XD Ask if you want to know! I still like writing as Varan!

Well, anyway, on to our new bonus (that is being _added_ and not _replacing_ Varan).

* * *

Vivi had no idea why he was waiting at the station alone, nor did he know what he was waiting for. A letter had appeared on his desk in that morning addressed to him from Yen Sid. He'd called Seifer right after he found it and was assured by his friend that according to Roxas, the guy was the magician who was supposed to teach him magic.

So, here Vivi was, waiting for a "train he'd recognize when he saw it" alone on the train platform. He was more than nervous as he sat on the bench, kicking his legs. If the man was supposed to be his teacher, what was he like? Was he mean like his math teacher or nice like his English teacher? Was he tall or short? Was he going to teach Vivi a lot of magic or just a little bit? Vivi didn't know.

At last, a strange blue train with stars and moons on it stopped in the station and opened its doors. Vivi stared at it a moment, then realized it had to be the train in the letter. The feeling it gave him was strange, like it was trying to pull him on. He swallowed hard and stepped on the train.

He instantly regretted it. The doors slammed shut and the train jerked into motion. Vivi fell on his butt and sat on the floor, scared out of his mind. _I wish I never got on this train_, he thought miserably. He almost jumped out of his skin when everything went dark, signaling they'd gone through a tunnel. _I have to be brave._ He stood and sat in one of the seats.

After what could have been hours or a few short minutes—Vivi lost track of time—the train stopped. More confused than curious, Vivi glanced out the door that slid open.

The train was in front of a castle that seemed to be held up by magic. In the distance, he could see the rolling hills he recognized as Twilight Town, or at least, that he thought he recognized. Taking a deep breath, Vivi stepped off the train, and immediately wished he hadn't. The train behind him vanished in a flash of light, leaving him stranded and frightened in a strange place.

Something tapped him on the shoulder, making Vivi jump and scream. He spun around and faced the thing that touched him. "A... broom?" he said, stunned.

The broom in front of him pointed behind him at the door, then turned. When Vivi didn't follow him, it put its hands on its nonexistent hips and tapped its straw foot impatiently.

"You want me to follow you?" Vivi asked uncertainly.

The broom nodded its handle head and headed for the castle again. Vivi followed close behind it as it led him into the castle. Surprisingly, the inside of the castle was bare. Vivi wasn't quite sure what to make of the place, especially since the broom was impatiently dragging him through the few rooms that eventually led to an office. An old man was sitting at the desk, pouring over a book.

The broom pointed to a chair across the desk from him and then ambled off. Vivi sat down and waited nervously for the man to finish what he was reading. But the man didn't finish what he was reading. He just kept on reading and ignoring the boy in front of him.

After ten minutes of sitting, Vivi couldn't take the waiting anymore. "Um... Excuse me..."

The old magician looked up and arched an eyebrow. Vivi silenced himself and bowed his head apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but..." Again, he broke off.

"You're Vivi?"

Vivi nodded.

The man frowned, then shut his book. "It takes a lot to upset you, doesn't it?"

"Huh?"  
"The entire point of that exorcise was to bother you enough to use magic."

"Oh... Um... waiting doesn't bother me," Vivi admitted.

"I see." The man set his book aside. "Tell me, when did your... powers first take form?"

Vivi tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"When did you first experience something strange, like something exploding or flying across the room without anyone to cause it."

"Well..." Vivi thought hard. "In kindergarten, some glue bottles blew up, but—"

"Lord," the magician whistled, "kindergarten's early, even for powerful magic users. You must have quite the talent."

Vivi blushed and was glad that his face was hidden in the shadows of his oversized hat. "U-um... When do people usually..."

"They usually start showing signs of magic around the age of ten," the magician explained, standing up stiffly. "When was the last time your magic took form and what happened because of it?"

"Um... yesterday... I... blew up someone."

The magician raised an eyebrow. "Blew up someone?"

"Roxas called him a Nobody."

"Ah, no loss there, then." Yen Sid—that's who Vivi assumed it was, at least—gestured for him to follow. Vivi slid off his chair and walked close behind the magician. They eventually reached a large courtyard that didn't seem to fit the rest of the strange place.

"Vivi, was it?" When Vivi nodded, Yen Sid continued, "I'm going to teach you some basic spells, but I warn you: you mustn't use these when you return to Twilight Town. You aren't old or experienced enough to use magic without me supervising."

"Yes, sir."

Yen Sid glanced down at Vivi as if to make sure the boy wasn't trying to be sarcastic. Then he waved his hand and a straw dummy appeared. "The first spell I'll teach you is a basic fire spell..."

* * *

Well, that's it for Vivi's adventures. I like Vivi, so I'll probably have these little bonus stories, especially since Vivi will eventually become a big part of the story (not blabbing how). Well, thanks for reading!


	29. One Heart, Two Paths

**Chapter 29: One Heart, Two Paths**

Sora felt dizzy and tired, but forced his eyes open. He was in a white metal room, propped up against a wall. His eyelids drooped as drowsiness set in once again, but he smacked his cheeks to stay awake. This wasn't the time to be sleeping! He had to find a way out!

But, he soon realized, there was no way out. There wasn't even a door in the strange room.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Where are you, Luxord?"

A dark portal opened, and if Sora was expecting the gambler, he was soon disappointed. Larxene stepped out and smiled smugly. Sora drew his Keyblade and swung it threateningly.

"Oh, please, put that silly toy away," the lightning user said, still smiling. "If you kill me, you'll be trapped in here, now won't you?"

"What do you want?" Sora growled.

"Oh, not too much," Larxene came closer and tilted his chin up. "We want _you_."

"Me?" Sora had to swallow his pride. He had to hear what was happening, and if anyone could tell him, it was Larxene. She liked to talk a lot, and Sora knew that.

"Of course," Larxene replied, taking the bait. "We can't turn Roxas into a Nobody, so we'll just use you to make a new 'Roxas'."

That was all Sora needed. He slapped Larxene's hand away. "Good luck with that. There's no way you're gonna get me or Roxas to be a Nobody."

Larxene smirked. "We'll just see about that, boy. Hope you're not still tired." She vanished into a dark portal.

Sora didn't have to wait long to see what she meant. Heartless appeared everywhere, everything from small Shadows to Fat Bandits. The Keybearer swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He readied his sword and charged.

* * *

_"So where is he?"_ Roxas thought as they reached The World that Never Was. Donald and Goofy seemed surprised that the world was easy to access, but Roxas wasn't. Their friends from the Organization had said they'd get everything ready, and Roxas assumed that it also meant making the world easy to find.

_"They've locked him in a room without doors or windows,"_ Axel replied. Frustration radiated from his voice. _"The only way in is if you break through the wall or if you use a portal."_

_"They're also dumping in a ton of Heartless!"_ Demyx added. _"I think they're trying to turn Sora into a Heartless the old-fashioned way to create another Nobody!"_

_"You'll have to break the wall down to rescue him,"_ Lexaeus said, trying to push the conversation back to where Sora was being kept. _"It's in behind the wall in Naught's Approach. You remember where that is, Roxas?"_

When Roxas said he did, Axel added, _"Be careful. All the Nobodies are looking for you and your friends. They're everywhere."_

The Nobodies' voices were gone as quickly as they had appeared, and Roxas repeated all the information to the others.

"That's a problem," Olette muttered. "How do we get in?"

"A summon?" Pence suggested.

Kairi shook her head. "I don't think even Maleficent's powerful enough to get in."

"Gawrsh, but can't Genie bust in?" Goofy pointed at the lamp still in Roxas's hands.

Roxas glanced down at the lamp, then nodded. "Kairi, can you hold on to the lamp?"

Kairi pointed her Keyblade it, and the lamp glowed. The glow shot to the blade and all the way down the hilt. She dispelled the Keyblade and nodded. They'd be able to call the genie when he was needed.

"Then let's get going!" Hayner said, ready to save their friend.

* * *

Axel had been right to say to watch for Nobodies. They were everywhere, patrolling corridors, standing guard, even sitting on ceilings so as to remain unnoticed. If it weren't for Olette and Donald's magic blasting the monsters before they had even seen them, they'd never have gotten through.

They reached the wall in question after defeating dozens—no—hundreds of Nobodies. They had no time to congratulate themselves, though. Kairi set to work summoning the Genie of the Lamp as Roxas and the others knocked back the swarming Nobodies.

Once the Genie was free, Kairi asked the blue-skinned djinn to break down the wall. A snap of his fingers, and the wall tumbled down in a small explosion. That done, the Genie snapped his fingers again and cleared the rubble. Oh, and he didn't forget the Nobodies. Another snap, and they all vanished in a poof of smoke.

The path now clear, Roxas charged into the room and smashed a few Heartless. "Sora! Are you okay?"

"F-fine," the brown-haired boy managed to pant. He swung at the Soldier that jumped at him, lost his balance, and fell to his knees. He'd been fighting for an hour at least and was feeling it. His arms felt like lead and the Keyblade was too heavy to hold. It clattered a few feet from him and vanished in a sparkling light.

A Defender jumped at the chance and attacked. Sora was smashed into the wall opposite Roxas and collapsed in a crumpled heap. More Heartless swarmed and Sora was buried under claws and darkness.

"Sora!" Roxas shouted again, knocking away all the Heartless in his way. Three large bodies stood between him and Sora, and Roxas gritted his teeth. Then a shield flew into the three like a Frisbee and flew back to Goofy a few feet back.

But now he was too late. The darkness was rising in streams where the Heartless had buried him. Then, the Heartless were all thrown back and destroyed in an instant. The one who had thrown them stood where Sora had been lying and looked exactly like Sora, if Sora wore black and reeked of evil.

"Sora" turned his eyes on Roxas, and smiled, revealing sharp fangs. A Keyblade appeared in his hands, but it wasn't the Keyblade Sora had been wielding before Heartless had piled on him. It was black and sharp with a red hilt.

Roxas couldn't help but take a step back. The aura emanating off of this Sora made him feel sick to his stomach. "Sora, what happened?" Roxas asked, both Keyblades at the ready.

"Sora?" the person repeated, saying the word slowly. "Is that my name?" The Sora look-alike lifted a hand, and Roxas saw the invisible barriers flash as they appeared. "I'm Sora?"

"Roxas!" Naminé shouted from the other side of the barriers. She banged on the invisible walls, but they wouldn't give. "Roxas, that's not Sora! He's become a Heartless!"

The former Nobody paid for his moment of distraction. The Heartless rushed at Roxas and slashed with his new Dark Keyblade. Roxas barely blocked with the Oathkeeper, but a shattering sound greeted him rather than the firm sound of metal against metal. Roxas was knocked back and let out a gasp of pain as his back slammed into the barrier.

But Roxas soon realized his bruised back was nothing compared to what else the Heartless had caused. The Oathkeeper—or what was left of it—was in his hand, shattered to pieces. Even as Roxas watched, the cracked pieces fell apart until not even the hilt was left.

He didn't have time to mourn the loss of his one Keyblade. The Heartless was already swinging again. With nowhere to run, Roxas's only choice was to block again, with the same result. He was slammed back against the barrier again, and the Oblivion's pieces scattered around him.

"No! Get up!" Naminé cried. "Roxas! Run!"

But there was no way he could escape. The Dark Keyblade was already swinging down. He felt the cold pass through him, then darkness.

* * *

_Where am I?_

"What path do you choose?"

_Who are you?_

"I am you."

_You're... me...?_

Roxas opened his eyes and found himself falling through nothingness. There was no sign of the voice speaking to him, yet there it was. _How are you me?_

Roxas found that the sensation of falling stopped. A small purple light floated down to face him, then grew. It looked exactly as he had when he first joined the Organization: lost and innocent blue eyes that hardly matched the dark uniform he wore.

"I'm you from before," the other Roxas said. "What path do you choose?"

_What are you talking about?_ Roxas tried to say it, but no sound came.

Still, the other him seemed to understand, for he said, "That's for you to decide." He took a few steps back, and became a purple light once more. "There are only two more memories for you," the light said. "You must chose your true path after you see them."

The light expanded until it was like a window. Roxas took a step toward it and passed through into the scene it revealed.

It was raining and dark there. The only person in the city Roxas recognized as part of the World that Never Was was Roxas and a child that Roxas instantly recognized as himself.

The other Roxas opened his eyes and pushed himself off the ground. He looked around the dark city, confusion spreading across his features.

That's when they appeared. Many black puddles sprouted up everywhere, and from those puddles came the Neoshadow. The Heartless surrounded Roxas. The launched to attack, but the boy was able to flee.

Roxas ran and ran, but soon Neoshadows blocked the street in front of him. Desperate for an escape, he rushed down an alley and ran right into Axel. Before the red-haired fire-wielder could say anything, Roxas cried, "Help me! Those monsters are chasing me!"

Axel grinned and drew his weapon. "No problem." He threw one and torched all the Heartless scrambling down the alleyway. More took their place, too many for Axel to defeat single-handedly.

"Hold on tight." The redhead grabbed Roxas and jumped backward into a dark portal, which closed before any Heartless could follow.

When it reopened, Roxas and Axel were in a white room, and Axel was holding on tightly to Roxas. "Oi! Vexen! Got another one!"

The old scientist turned and frowned. "He hardly looks like fighting material." Vexen set down his beaker and looked Roxas up and down. "What's your name, boy?"

"I don't have one," Roxas said, frightened.

Where was he? Who were these people? One of what? All those questions went through Roxas's head as the old scientist looked at him funny.

"Don't have one?" Vexen repeated. "Then whose Nobody are you?"

"What's a Nobody?"

"Wherever did you find this boy?" Vexen asked the other Nobody.

"On the streets getting chased by Neoshadow," Axel replied with a shrug. "He's definitely a Nobody. No doubt about that."

Vexen frowned, his brow furrowed, and he turned back to Roxas. "You know... The Keybearer was turned into a Heartless for a short time and returned to his original form. It's possible this boy is the Nobody resulting from that. It would certainly explain the lack of memories."

"W-what are you talking about?" If Axel hadn't been holding on to Roxas so tightly, he would have bolted.

The blond scientist continued like he hadn't heard. "We'll call him Roxas. That's a suitable name for a Nobody." He went over to a cabinet and pulled out a cotton swab and some kind of liquid. "He's Number XIII, Axel. You do the honors."

The redhead nodded and lifted Roxas's sleeve. He touched the boy's bare flesh, and flames spread from his fingertips. Roxas let out a cry of pain as the flames shaped into _XIII_ and then put themselves out after burning the mark in.

That done, Vexen dampened the cotton swab and rubbed whatever the foul-smelling liquid was onto the burn. Roxas tried to pull away. The liquid made it hurt more than even the flames. It felt like his arm was on fire all over again, this time though with flames so hot it felt like ice against his skin.

"That should do it," Vexen said, capping the bottle and throwing away the swab. "The scar should fade in a few days. I'll alert the Superior that all preparations are complete." He turned back to his experiment and probably sent a mental communication before he went back to work.

The memory faded as it ended. Roxas—the real, current Roxas—turned to yet another light, this one white. It turned into him again, this one wearing the shabby clothes he'd awaken in on the train. It nodded to the whiteness forming behind him and vanished as the other had.

This memory was empty except for sounds. Roxas heard someone—Naminé, he realized—shouting his name. Then Selena's voice, weak and hoarse, said, "Naminé, his memories have shattered. They can be pieced back together with time, but he must have something in the meantime, else his heart and soul will break and he will die. Please, I've written some memories that I thought to give him if he chose not to fight the Heartless with Sora and the others. Give him those, and we shall give him the choice of whether to fight or not at a later time."

"What are we going to do with him?" inquired Varan. So she'd been there too, when Selena had brought him back.

"He'll be safe, don't worry," replied Selena. "I already know where he'll be staying."

"Still, pulling strings like that... Don't you think someone will notice?"

"No, they won't. People can't see what's beyond their noses sometimes. We'll be safe until then."

"But what about Sora?" Naminé asked. "Won't he notice? Kairi too! Riku will be suspicious as well..."

"We'll put up the charade long enough for his sake," Selena replied sadly.**1**

The whiteness faded back to the nothingness Roxas had been in before. The two lights floated to either side of him.

"So which path will you choose?" asked the dark one.

_What do you mean?_ Roxas asked. _What paths are there to chose from?_

"There are as many paths as stars in the sky," replied the white light. "It is up to you to chose."

_But what can I do without the Keyblades?_

It was the dark one that answered. "Keyblades are a guiding light down your path. The two you had would lead you to your goal, but down their former master's path, not yours."

"If you chose a path," continued the white one, "Keyblades will appear to protect and guide you."

"Now chose!"

_I chose..._ Roxas closed his eyes. What path did he chose? He reached for both lights. He knew what path to take; he just hoped it was the right one.

"A good choice," both lights said in fading voices.

* * *

Roxas could feel his senses returning as the power coursed through him. He stood shakily and raised his arms. Two Keyblades appeared to replace the two he'd lost. One was gold and white with a star for the key. The other was black and silver with twisting black wires to form a black sun shape. He opened his eyes and swung his new blades, ready to fight.

"How?" the Heartless Sora growled, stepping back. "You should be a Heartless!"

"Don't think so," Roxas said, swinging his black and silver Keyblade.

The Heartless tried to block with his Keyblade, but had as much luck as Roxas had had earlier. The Dark Keyblade shattered like it was made of glass, leaving the Heartless completely defenseless as Roxas stabbed him with the gold and white blade.

Choking, the Heartless held the Keyblade as if to try and pull it out of his chest. The darkness steamed from the wound as Roxas held the blade in place. Soon, Sora—the real one—collapsed, the Keyblade passing harmlessly through his body.

The barrier sparkled and vanished without a trace. Naminé rushed in with Kairi, each hugging their respective other close to them.

"Roxas! I was so scared you were going to die!" Naminé whispered.

"Sora! Open your eyes! Please!" Kairi begged. She was crying, but stopped immediately when Sora muttered something about pizza and let out a loud snore. She slapped him, but the islander didn't so much as stir.

"He's fine," Riku said, shaking his head. "What about you, Roxas?"

Roxas smiled weakly. "I'm... okay..." He felt dizzy, like he was going to faint, but for some reason he couldn't.

"Your Keyblades need names," Selena said.

Pence shook his head. "I think Roxas needs some rest first."

"They haven't connected yet," Selena explained. "Until he says their names, they'll draw too much power from him. They aren't complete yet. Say their names, Roxas, and we'll handle the rest."

Roxas looked down at his two blades. "The Shining Hope," he called the gold one, the names coming to him as he looked at the Keyblades, "and the Dark Prophet," he called the other.

If was like a weight was lifted from him. The blades vanished, and he at last was able to close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep in Naminé's arms.

* * *

**1** Anyone recognize half that conversation from Chapter 2? Now you get it in context! :)

Okay, that was the chapter. Tell me what you think. If you see typos, tell me! Thank you! :)

* * *

**Varan's Discussion Room**

_Crickets Chirp_

...Okay, so I guess I get forgotten simply because Vivi's cuter than I am. ..._sigh_... That, or Sailor's improved a lot on her in-fic explanations and doesn't need little old me explaining things outside the story anymore.

As always, if you have questions, ask.

* * *

**Vivi Omake**

"No, again, Vivi."

Vivi tried the spell again. Unlike the many spells Yen Sid had taught him the day before, this one was difficult—too difficult. The boy chanted the incantation and waved the staff Yen Sid had given him and hoped that it would work.

Of course it didn't. The spell went "wild" as Yen Sid put it and instead of creating a glowing sphere as it should have, created a miniature black hole. The magician quickly banished it before it did too much damage to the courtyard.

"Let's take a break," Yen Sid said. He led Vivi inside to his study and poured some of the tea the brooms brought. "What do you think your doing wrong?" the magician asked.

"I... I don't know," Vivi muttered. "I'm just no good at—"

"There's the problem," Yen Sid interrupted. "Magic is all about believing in yourself and magic. Your problem is that you don't believe in yourself. All the belief in magic in the worlds couldn't save that spell if you don't believe in yourself a little."

Vivi bowed his head. "But the spell's so hard. There's no way I can do it..."

Yen Sid shook his head. "You cast those spells yesterday without any trouble," he pointed out. "Believe me, if I thought you weren't ready for such a spell, I wouldn't ask you to try and cast it." The old magician stood and walked over to a collection of books. He flipped through one that appeared to be a book for beginners and showed the boy the light spell he was trying to cast. "See? It's not quite as difficult as your making it. Try again, would you?"

Vivi nodded and stood. He took a deep breath and concentrated. _I can do this._ And he could. The light flashed and swirled into a bright sphere. "I did it!" Vivi cheered! "I can't believe I did it!"

"Of course you did it," Yen Sid replied. "See what a little believing in yourself can do?" He snapped the book shut and placed in on his shelf. "We'll do potions next," he added, seeing that Vivi was a little tired from so much spell casting. It was never good to push it with new apprentices, even those with such much power.


	30. Runaway

**Chapter 30: Runaway**

"He's waking up!"

Roxas blinked his eyes open, not quite understanding what was going on. There were blurry faces all around him, but he couldn't tell whose they were. It took a few minutes before everything came into focus, but by then, Roxas was able to grin up at all of his friends, minus Sora and Kairi. "Hey."

"Hey? Is that all you can say?!" Olette shouted, tears in her eyes. "Do you know how worried we were? Do you know how worried _Naminé_ was?"

"Where's Sora?" Roxas asked, just now realizing the spiky-haired boy's absence.

"Still unconscious," Riku muttered. "Selena says he'll be fine, but Kairi's still worried."

Roxas glanced over at Kairi. She was sitting at Sora's bedside, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for him to wake up. She looked tired, like she hadn't slept for a while.

"How long have I been out?" Roxas asked, realizing he had to have been asleep a long time.

"Almost a day," Pence replied. "We were all just about to go to bed when you woke up."

"We're in Varan's house," Olette added. "Who knew she had so much room in her house?"

Roxas looked around, wanting to ask Selena something. When he saw here conversing quietly with Varan, he asked, "What happened back there? That Heartless looked exactly like Sora and could use the Keyblade. Why?"

Varan answered for her friend. "When the Heartless take someone's heart, that person's body acts on its own as a Nobody and the heart turns into a Heartless. The thing is, a person can only have one Nobody. Even though you don't exist as a Nobody anymore, your connecting with Sora is still that of a Nobody, and it will stay that way until your heart fully forms. Because of this, Sora's heart and body was infected with evil rather than turned into a Heartless."

"I don't get it," Hayner said.

Varan smiled, as if to say "Of course not." Instead of what she was obviously thinking, though, she said, "Sora's heart, soul, and body weren't separated because his body and soul couldn't act independently as a Nobody. Because Sora was both 'Heartless' and 'human,' he was still able to wield his Keyblade, though in a different form."

"What about our Keyblades, though?" Roxas asked. "Sora destroyed mine. What happened?"

This time, Selena answered. "Keyblades have life spans just like people," she explained. "A Keyblade only lasts a couple hundred years. Yours had reached near the end of their life, and so Sora was able to break them. Sora's Keyblade was even more ancient than yours, but its creator was stronger than your Keyblades', so it still had some life left in it. Your new Keyblades, Dark Prophet and Shining Hope, were stronger than Sora's old Keyblade, and thus you were able to destroy them."

"But what about Sora?" Riku glanced over at Kairi and Sora. The girl was listening intently to their conversation. "Does he have a new Keyblade or—"

"Keyblades are created from strong hearts out of necessity," Selena said. "Roxas needed those Keyblades to save Sora from the evil inside of him. Sora, though, hasn't needed his Keyblade yet. He won't get his back until he needs it to fight the Heartless once again."

Donald and Goofy's eyes widened. "But he was chosen by the Keyblade! He's supposed to—"

"A Keyblade is a Keyblade," Varan replied. "It's simple as that. Sora's was only legendary because it was the first of its kind and because it could take the form of other Keyblades. It was special, that is certain, but no longer powerful." She closed her eyes, a small smile on her face. "The one chosen by the legendary Keyblade, however, should have quite the impressive Keyblade when he creates his own."

"Ungh..."

Everyone turned to the source of the noise. Sora sat up and shook his head in his hands. "What happened?" he muttered. "My head feels like a bunch of chocobo**1** stampeded through it."

"Sora, are you okay?" Kairi asked.

"Been better," Sora replied. "What happened?"

Selena set a hand on Sora's shoulder. "You have to promise not to panic."

"Why?"

"Promise first."

"I promise I won't freak out. Now tell me."

Selena bit her lip, but decided it would be best to tell him rather than leave him in the dark. "You were turned into a Heartless, Sora, and kept your human form. Roxas fought and defeated you, but not before you both broke each other's Keyblades. Roxas was able to get new Keyblades, but you are no longer a Keybearer. I'm sorry."

Sora's eyes widened. "What...? What are you talking about? I'm the Keyblade master! I—"

"Calm down," Varan scolded. "You're in no shape to—"

Sora didn't stay to find out what he wasn't in shape to do. He stood and ran out of the house.

"Sora!" Donald shouted.

"Gawrsh, it musta been a sock to him," Goofy muttered.

"Shock," Donald corrected.

"We don't have time for this," Roxas grumbled, chasing after the former Keybearer. He felt tired still, but that was to be expected after the battle from the day before.

Thankfully, Sora wasn't in much better shape. Roxas and the others easily caught up with him before he even reached the castle.

"Sora, calm down," Riku said. "It's not that bad."

Sora didn't seem to hear Riku, though, or if he did, he completely ignored him. The former Keybearer turned and went into the castle.

"Should we follow him?" Hayner whispered.

"It'd probably be best," Varan said. "No telling what Sora could do while he's like this."

They nodded and continued following him, but made no attempt to stop him. He eventually reached the library, where he stared at the cover of Pooh's storybook a while.

"Well, there's a safe place for him," Pence said. "Maybe we should let him in until he calms down."

"Not alone," Olette said. "I've read enough books to know you shouldn't leave someone in shock alone and—"

Sora already had the book open and was disappearing between its pages.

Roxas reacted before he could think about what he was doing. He grabbed Sora's vanishing form and was pulled into the story world along with Sora.

The book snapped shut once both had been sucked between the pages. Hayner snatched it and tried to open it to no avail. "Why-won't-this-thing-open?" he grunted as he attempted to pry the covers apart.

"Sora's sealed himself inside," Varan said with a huff. "He's one of the characters of the book. His book, his world, his rules. As long as he's inside, he can choose who comes and goes, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Donald crossed his arms. "So you're saying they're stuck in there until Sora gets a grip."

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Riku pulled up a chair and sat down. "We're going to be here a while, then."

* * *

"Sora, you can't just sit here and sulk," Roxas said.

"Watch me," Sora replied bitterly.

The two were in an open field. Sora was sitting on a log being depressed, and Roxas was trying to get him to cheer up. So far, nothing was working.

Roxas tried again. "Varan said your new Keyblade'll be awesome. We should go back, find some Heartless, and get you to summon your new Keyblade! Come on, what do you say?"

"I say that's the stupidest idea you've ever had."

Roxas slapped his forehead. He could understand Sora being upset, but this was starting to get ridiculous. It wasn't like it was the end of the world. He could create a new one from his heart like Roxas had if he'd just stop moping!

"Sora, if you don't stop moping around, I'll slug you."

"Go ahead."

Roxas twitched. "Come on, Sora! This isn't the great Keybearer I know! You've fought Heartless and Nobodies and won every battle! This is just another bump in the road! If you make it through this, you can go back to pounding Heartless and Nobodies again!"

"Easy for you to say. You have Keyblades. You can still play hero."

_That's it._ Roxas swung, but stopped. One of the world's inhabitants was coming, and Roxas didn't think it a good idea to hit Sora in front of the book's characters. "Hello?" Roxas called to the approaching rabbit. "What's up?"

Rabbit grabbed Sora's arm and pulled. "Thank goodness you're both here. Hurry hurry! Piglet! Piglet's been blown up in a tree and none of us can get him down! Hurry up!"

"What?" Sora asked, shocked. "Which tree? Where?" The life seemed to return to his eyes, now that he had someone he needed to rescue.

"I'll show you," Rabbit said, tugging Sora's arm again. "Just hurry!"

The two teens followed Rabbit all the way to a giant tree. Piglet was clinging for dear life to one of the top branches.

"Do something!" Rabbit cried. "If Piglet falls..."

"Do you have a blanket?" Sora asked Kanga.

"Why yes," the kangaroo said, reaching into her pouch and retrieving a large blue blanket. "Why?"

"You guys hold the corners and the edges and make it as tight as you can," Sora said. "I'll climb up and get Piglet. If we fall, you guys have to catch us. Understand?"

The animals and Roxas all nodded and got into position below the tree. Sora scaled the branches and made it to the top in next to no time at all. The wind made the tree sway and groan under the extra weight, but it seemed to be holding. Once Sora got in range of Piglet, he shouted, "Take me hand, Piglet! I'll get you down!"

The frightened piglet looked down, then clung even tighter to the branch. "B-b-but I'm scared!"

"Don't worry, I've got you."

Piglet looked down at Sora, took a deep breath, then grabbed Sora's hand. Sora swung the pig into his jacket and zipped it up so Piglet wouldn't go anywhere, even if they fell. He started climbing down, but the small branches at last couldn't take his weight anymore. The branches snapped, and Sora fell.

"Everyone!" Roxas called. The animals understood and pulled the blanket taught. Sora fell into it, but the combined efforts of Roxas and the residents of the Hundred-Acre Wood was enough to catch him and have him harmlessly bounce a few times in the make-shift trampoline.

"You okay, Piglet?" Sora asked, letting the animal out of his coat.

"I'm fine," the nervous pig replied. "Thank you for rescuing me."

Sora grinned. "No problem. You're safe. That's what matters."

All the Hundred-Acre Wood's residents gave Sora, their hero, a big hug, but then had to leave. Now that the danger was over, they had things they needed to get back to. They waved and said their good-byes, then started walking away. Sora waved as well until they were out of sight.

Now in much better spirits, Sora stretched and turned to Roxas. "Well, I'm ready to go back. How about you?"

Roxas nodded, and they vanished from the book's pages.

* * *

**1** In case you've never played Final Fantasy, a chocobo is a giant ostrich-chicken thing that you can ride.

Short chapter, I know. Kinda annoying Sora, too. XP Sorry for both.

**Varan's Discussion Room**

I guess I've been forgotten for the cuter magician's apprentice known as Vivi. Seriously, if you guys have any questions, feel free to ask. Unless you guys ask stuff, I might get canceled and only brought back to explain the plot holes Sailorstar might leave, and I don't want to do that. It's no fun fixing Sailorstar's mistakes. Anyway, we all know you guys want Vivi, so here's his story.

* * *

Vivi was really starting to get the hang of this magic thing. He was now able to cast all the basic spells and then some. Yen Sid said that soon, he'd might even be allowed to graduate from the staff he used to focus his magic and not have to use any tools at all! Vivi couldn't wait. At the moment, he needed the staff to get anything to happen, but if what Yen Sid said was true, he wouldn't have to rely on it. He could go around Twilight Town and cast spells without having people stare at him and his staff.

Today, though, Vivi had to use the staff. They were learning how to do a magic that allowed them to summon spirits, something even Yen Sid still used to a staff to do, if only because the bottom end made a good drawing tool that he didn't have to bend down to use.

The problem today was Vivi's art skills, or lack of them. The little apprentice couldn't draw a straight line or a perfect circle, let alone all the symbols he was to draw inside the magic circle. He had to start over dozens of times.

At last, he got the circle exactly like the book. He stood in the center like he was supposed to and held his staff in front of him.

"Now, summon Ifrit," Yen Sid said calmly. He was a good twenty meters away in a protection spell, just in case Vivi managed to summon something more dangerous. "And don't leave the circle until you've made a pact with him. There's no telling what he'll do if you step out of that circle."

Vivi nodded, then chanted, "I summon you, Ifrit, the fire demon, king of fire and flame. Heed my call and come forth!" He swung his staff, sending his words everywhere in the universe, or that's what the book said it did. He wasn't sure if that was really the case, but it certainly looked impressive.

The ground shook, then started cracking in front of Vivi. The apprentice flinched as the smell of fire and brimstone filled the air, and one giant claw shot out of the crevice forming. A huge beast with huge horns and burning fur on its neck climbed out and roared.

"Who dares to summon the fire demon, Ifrit?" he shouted in his majestic voice.

"M-me," Vivi squeaked. Yen Sid slapped his forehead from across the clearing.

The monster looked down at the cowering form before it. "You?" the beast asked, then laughed. "You're just a child! Only one with great powers may summon me."

"I-I did summon you, though," Vivi said.

Ifrit tilted his head and sat back on his haunches like a dog—a big, scary, fire-breathing dog. He bent down and sniffed the apprentice. "Such power," he growled to himself. "You _are_ the one who called me. Very well." He stood on his back paws, and with his arms spread wide, roared, "I, Ifrit, accept your summons and shall bow to your power. If ever you need my strength, call my name, and I shall appear." He fell back to all fours, then said, "Please leave your circle, child."

Vivi swallowed hard and took the one fateful step needed to leave the protection of his circle. Ifrit lifted a claw and gently poked Vivi's forehead. The apprentice gasped as something hot as flame shot through him. The burning sensation diminished, but the warmth was still there, lingering on his skin.

"I have agreed to your contract, boy, and have given you my promise to return when called. Do not hesitate if you need my help." The monster became transparent and seemed to dissolve in many lights until he was gone.

Yen Sid stepped out of his own circle and hurried over to Vivi, who collapsed. "You did well," the old magician stated.

"D-did I?"

His master nodded. "That will be all today. Summoning Ifrit is difficult, and you did so perfectly. Go home and get some rest."

Vivi touched his forehead. It was still hot where Ifrit had touched him. "W-why did you have me summon him if it was so difficult?"

"Because I knew you would succeed," he replied simply. "Summoning a spirit is necessary for the exam to become a mage. You've been at that level for quite some time, so I'm trying to prepare you. If you pass that exam, you'll be allowed to use magic outside of my lessons and to cast spells apprentices aren't allowed to even know of."

Vivi's eyes widened. "A-am I that good?"

"Your skills need polishing, but have a talent," the old magician replied vaguely. "Don't worry about it. Just go home and get some rest. And _don't_ summon Ifrit unless you need his power, understand? Abuse your contract, and he can revoke his promise."

The apprentice nodded and stumbled out of the clearing. Yen Sid watched him go and sighed. _I have my work cut out for me from now on._


	31. A Gamble

**Chapter 31: A Gamble**

"About time you got outta that book!" Donald said crankily. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Sora to apologize for being such a moron. "You stayed in there all night!"

"You guys didn't have to wait for me," Sora said, stifling a yawn. He glanced at the clock someone had recently put in the library just as it struck seven in the morning. "Wow, were we in there that long?"

"Time runs differently in the storybook," Varan explained, closing the book Sora and Roxas had just popped back out of. "It may have seemed like an hour or so for you, but here it's been all night." Unlike the others, she didn't appear tired in the least. She'd probably nodded off while all the others worried endlessly about them.

Sora stretched. "Well, I'm feeling better. So, what's the plan?" he asked Selena.

The girl tilted her head, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"The plan! You know, how am I supposed to get my Keyblade back?" The former Keybearer cast around his mind for ideas. "Pound a couple Heartless with a normal sword and wait for them to kick my butt? Go to some world or another that needs a hero and have it come back? Wipe the floor with a Nobody? Fight Riku with a stick? Cast every spell I—"

Selena stared at her hands in her lap. "To be honest, I'm not sure."

Sora stopped mid rant and stared at her. "You're not sure?" he said blankly. "Wait, I thought you knew everything."

A small laugh escaped her lips. "No, I don't know everything, though I suppose the going to a world in need of a hero could work."

Both Sora and Roxas's hearts sank—Sora's because he'd had full confidence in her knowing how to get his Keyblade back, and Roxas's because he was afraid Sora might go into depression again. But Sora didn't let it get to him for long.

"Great! We'll just check out Olette's magic computer thing**1** and see if we can find a world that'd work!" He glanced at Olette, but instead of asking her to start looking, called over her head, "What's up, Yuffie?"

The ninja shouted from the door, "Heartless! Loads of them! They're all over the place!" She looked worriedly over her shoulder. "Get out there ASAP, guys!" She then ran down the hall.

"Looks like we found your world in need of a hero," Riku commented. He drew his Way to Dawn and rushed out of the room, turning down the hall in the same direction as Yuffie.

Everyone drew their weapons, except for Sora, who glanced around for something remotely sharp or pointy to bash Heartless over the head with. Varan rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. A heavy broadsword popped into existence with a loud _CRACK_ and hovered weightlessly before Sora.

The blade wasn't weightless for long, however. Sora grinned up a storm at the new weapon and took the sword's hilt. The magic keeping it floating vanished, and gravity pulled the sword to the ground, taking Sora's arms with it. "Why is this thing so heavy?!"

Varan raised an eyebrow at him. "You're used to a Keyblade, which adjusts itself for its bearer. That's just a plain old sword. It can't and won't do anything like that for you."

"You could've warned me!" Sora shouted, but she, like everyone else, was already rushing to the door to go fight Heartless. The swordsman grumbled but chased after them, the sword tip dragging on the ground as it was just too heavy to lift.

Roxas noticed Sora having issues keeping up, so he dropped behind in case a bunch of Heartless launched a sneak attack and Sora needed a hand. This wasn't the case, and by the time they reached the front of the castle, everyone was already fighting and defeating the horde of Heartless.

Roxas stayed close to Sora, making sure the other teen didn't get in over his head without his Keyblade. The sword Varan had lent Sora didn't seem as strong or as suited for Heartless bashing as the Keyblade, even though it did some damage. Roxas's blades, on the other hand, seemed twice as strong as his old Keyblades had, lighter and sharper, too. It was like his Keyblades were made for him and him alone. But of course that was the case. They'd been forged from his heart just for him, after all.

The Heartless nearby didn't stand a chance against their efforts. While Roxas had the better weapons, Sora had the better fighting skills, and they soon took down every Heartless that got in their way.

Their little area done, Sora ran to help Kairi just as her summon, Maleficent, vanished. The Gullwings, who'd been hanging around the castle, were desperately trying to keep the Heartless at bay, but the Dark Balls and Fat Bandits were stronger than the Shadows Sora had pounded so easily.

Just as Sora raised his blade to slash the nearest Dark Ball in half, the ground seemed to open up below him. Sora hung suspended in midair a moment like the cartoons**2** as the black hole grew larger and larger, then fell in. It wasn't a normal hole, though. It was like the hole was filled with dark ink or a shadow, for as Sora was swallowed up, his completely disappeared. Roxas rushed over to grab Sora's hand, but the teen had fallen through some kind of black screen and wasn't visible through the nothingness.

Roxas stabbed his Shining Hope down into the darkness, hoping to break the barrier, but the blade bounced harmlessly off. It as if the hole was simply painted and didn't really exist. But it _had_ to exist. Sora had fallen through it, for crying out loud!

"Lookie here, it seems we've caught the wrong mouse."

Roxas spun around, Keyblades at the ready, to face none other than Luxord. The gambler continued as if he didn't notice Roxas glaring daggers at him. "I'm sure Saïx won't be too happy about the mix up. Sora just can't become a Nobody, after all." He sighed and shrugged. "Now I'm gonna have to deal with Saïx's bad mood. You remember how bad he gets."

Something wasn't right here. Roxas didn't lower his blades, but there was something almost too human about the Gambler of Fate. The Dark Prophet sparked in his hand, sending a tingling sensation up his arm. He heard a soundless _something_ in his head, and he knew exactly what wasn't right.

"You've already found a shard, haven't you?"

Luxord, taken by surprise, retreated a step back. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb," Roxas said, taking a step closer. "You've already got a piece of your heart back. When?"

"You're mad," the gambler said, dodging the question. He drew a hand of cards from his pocket and threw them at Roxas. "Mad as a Joker, I'd say!"

The cards grew bigger, but were no match for the Keyblades. Roxas slashed the cards he threw, slicing them into confetti. "Give up, Luxord," he said. "I know all your tricks. You're not going to win."

"I'd say that's a sucker's bet." This time, Luxord threw dice instead. These Roxas was able to dodge, and before the gambler had any time to react, the Shining Hope was stabbed straight through his chest.

"A sucker's bet I won," Roxas said, withdrawing his blade once the streams of darkness fizzled from Luxord's skin.

The Nobody coughed and collapsed to all fours. "And you played the game quite well," he muttered.

Roxas took a few steps back and watched as Selena offered the fading Nobody the rest of his heart. He didn't wait to see if he took it. Somehow, he knew that Luxord would want the rest of it and disappear to wherever it was all the others went.

The dual wielder turned to the black barrier and smashed his Keyblades down on it again. The blow didn't even scratch the surface. Irritated, he did it again, and again, and again, until his arms were tired and he was panting. He looked at Varan, who rapped the strange black thing with her knuckle.

"This is a very strong magical barrier... I'd say stronger than Carbuncle's**3**, and that's saying something." She shook her head. "We aren't getting in there any time soon."

"But what's causing it?" Riku asked, kneeling down next to Varan and laying a hand on the surface. "I can't sense anything."

"My guess is the caster's _inside_ and that the barrier's blocking us from sensing them."

Roxas sighed and looked around, searching for anything that might help them break through the barrier. He spotted Cid, and his heart leapt at the sight in both hope and fear. The technological genius was carrying dynamite.

"If it ain't opening," he said, signaling everyone to get as far away from the blast zone as possible, "blow it up!" He lit the fuse off his cigarette**4**, tossed it onto the barrier, and ducked for cover with the rest of the group.

The explosion went off, but it had as much effect as Roxas's Keyblades. There was a collective sigh from the group, then a gasp.

"Roxas!" Pence cried.

The Keyblade master in question looked at his friend. "What?" His voice sounded strangely hollow.

"Y-you're—"

His words drew everyone else's attention to Roxas as well. Olette shrieked. "You're disappearing!"

Roxas didn't understand. What did she mean by disappearing? He looked down at his hands and saw that that was exactly what she meant. He was transparent and getting more so by the second. "What's—?"

His voice was cut off as the rest of him vanished in a flash of pure white light.

* * *

Down in the black pit, Sora had finally hit bottom. He tapped his foot on the ground, testing the stability of the ground before decided wherever he was, it wouldn't collapse on him and he wouldn't start falling again. He was reminded of the dream he'd had before everything started, but a few steps didn't make a stained glass window appear.

Instead, he heard a voice behind him. "My, the Keybearer looks so lost without his Keyblade."

Sora spun around and pointed his heavy broadsword at the Nobody that sneaked up behind him. "Where am I?" he demanded. He swung his sword threateningly at Saïx. "How do I get out of here?"

Saïx narrowed his eyes. "There's no way out of here for you, so it doesn't really matter where you are, does it?" He readied his club-like weapon. "You won't suffer in this place for long, I can guarantee it."

Sora pointed the blade directly between Saïx's eyes, straight at the X-shaped scar. "Yeah, because I'll beat the information out of you."

The battle started, and Sora soon realized he was outmatched. His blade was too heavy, and unlike the Shadows and Soldiers, this guy was fast and able to parry and dodge all of Sora's slow, heavy-handed blows. That, and he was excellent at taunting.

"So this is what the great Keybearer has fallen to?" He blocked another swing. "A rusty sword that he can barely lift?" He parried a blow and knocked Sora against a wall invisible in the darkness.

Sora smirked. "Wow. I thought only Xemnas talked that much," he taunted.

Saïx frowned and lifted his club. "Not a bright boy, are you?"

The smirk widened. "Nope, but brighter than you." He swung his sword, flinging a Firaga spell at the Nobody.

Saïx has no time to move and was hit square in the chest by the fireball. He stumbled backwards, then looked up, eyes blazing. "You will pay for that." His body flashed, and then he launched at Sora at breakneck speed.

It was all Sora could do to dodge the now berserk Nobody. His luck soon ran out, however, and the Nobody caught him. Sora blocked with his broadsword, which dented on the first strike, then exploded under the force of the second, throwing Sora back against another wall.

"Pathetic." Saïx came closer and raised his club for a final strike. "I misjudged you."

Sora closed his eyes. It was a long shot, but it was his only chance. _Donald, Goofy, one of you two, I need to use the Drive ability!_

It worked, but not quite as Sora expected. He felt the power course through him, but it wasn't Donald's or Goofy's. Two Keyblades appeared in his hands, but neither one was familiar to him.

Confused, Sora opened his eyes. His clothes hadn't turned red for Valor form nor blue for Wisdom. They weren't white for Final or gold for Master. Instead, they were just glowing, and then, when the light faded, he saw they had turned into something like an Organization coat. _What is this?!_

_"Sora?"_

Sora stood there, dumbfounded. The voice belonged to Roxas. Somehow, he'd used the Drive ability and merged with Roxas, of all people. Was that even possible?

_"Sora! What's going on?!"_

_I'm using Drive,_ Sora thought back, readying the Keyblades in his hands. He didn't have to look to know they were Roxas's Shining Hope and Dark Prophet. _Somehow, I got you instead of Donald and Goofy, but I'm not gonna complain. We'll separate once I kick this guy's butt._

During this whole inner conversation, Saïx had taken a step back, bewildered. "How—?"

Sora rushed at the Nobody and found he moved faster than the other forms somehow. He swung the Shining Hope, sending a Thundaga spell at Saïx. Stunned, Saïx couldn't block or dodge the barrage.

Within minutes, Saïx was down for the count. He was starting to vanish like all the other Nobodies, and both Sora and Roxas felt a stab of panic. Neither of them had Saïx's heart with them. What would happen to the Nobody?

_"Sora what should we—?"_ But the Drive form ended before Roxas couldn't finish.

"Hey! Roxas! Don't leave me yet!" Sora shouted into the darkness, even though he knew his former Nobody couldn't hear him. "Roxas!" He sighed and went over to the currently unconscious Saïx. "Well, now what?"

"Now you die."

Sora's eyes widened. He spun around but couldn't see his attacker before he was unconscious himself.

* * *

"Roxas! You're back!" Hayner cried, tackling his friend.

"Hayner, get off!" Roxas didn't mean to be rough with his friend, but this was important. He pulled out of his friend's hug, and turned to Selena and Varan. "Sora used Drive form and got me somehow and we beat Saïx. Now Saïx is disappearing and Sora's still stuck down there!"

"That's easily fixed," Varan said, reaching up and placing a hand on Roxas's forehead.

Roxas hadn't realized how cold he was until the frigid feeling ran through his entire body and was absorbed into Varan's hand. He felt a little lightheaded and stumbled back from Varan when whatever she had done was finished. Hayner and Pence caught before he fell and steadied him.

Varan held some kind of dark mass in her hand, frowning at it as she poked it lightly. She closed her fist around it, and when she'd reopened it, the swirling mass had become a hard stone. This she tossed at the barrier. It landed in the middle and melded in with the rest of the hard cover.

"What's that going to do?" Olette asked curiously.

Varan shushed her and pointed at where the stone had sunk in. White cracks were forming all over the surface. There was a sound of shifted, and then cracks disappeared.

"The barrier's caving in," Riku said in wonder. "Can we go in?"

Varan held out her hand, and a broomstick appeared. This was probably the first time she really _looked_ like a witch in the time the group had known her. "You could, but you'd get stuck in the bottom. It's a black pit spell. It's like falling in a pit trap like in a cartoon, but the walls are too dark and slippery for you to climb back out. I'll go down and grab those two." She sat on her hovering broom, then shot off like a bullet into the pit. Like Sora, she was there one minute, then gone through the filmy darkness.

"Think she'll be okay?" Naminé asked.

"I'm more worried about Sora," Selena replied. She went over to Roxas and looked up into his face. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah," Roxas said, nodding. "What did Varan do back there?"

"When Sora used Drive form and got you, you went down there physically—it would have been the same for Donald and Goofy. Spells leave a sort of residue behind—a fingerprint, really—which Varan took from you so she could tell what kind of spell that pit was and break it."

"She used space time magic, didn't she?" Naminé asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.

Selena nodded. "I don't understand it too well, not being a magician myself, but spell residues are a part of a person's being, as it makes a person more resistant to the spell in the future and things of that nature. She took the residue as the price and used it to break the barrier."

"I see..." Roxas really didn't, but at least he knew what Varan had done now. He glanced over at the hole. There was something different about it now, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. The color hadn't changed, nor had the shape. Then it hit him. "It's shrinking!"

"What should we do?" Kairi asked, panic in her voice.

"Hope that Varan makes it out with Sora and Saïx in time," Selena replied. She'd masked the worry in her voice almost perfectly. No one but Roxas and Naminé seemed to catch it. Maybe that was because they were still connected to her, in a way.

The hole continued getting smaller and smaller until it was small enough for someone to reach the other side if the lay flat over the hole with arms outstretched. Then the shrinking accelerated.

"Pence! Plug the hole up with your shield!" Hayner said.

Nodding, Pence readied his shield and held it close to the hole. The shield glowed, creating a barrier like a bubble to stop the hole from shrinking. It worked for all of five seconds before the shield was pushed upward by the hole's closing.

"Any other bright ideas?" Olette asked Hayner, who didn't answer her as he watched the hole continue to shrink.

Then, just as the opening was getting too small for a person to get through, Varan burst out of the darkness, Sora and Saïx out cold behind her. The broom wavered in the air, then crashed to the earth. Varan groaned, then scrambled on her hands and knees over to Sora and Saïx. The Nobody was transparent now, and Roxas could see the ground underneath him.

"Selena!"

Varan hadn't needed to say anything. Selena was already putting the heart back where it should be. That done, Selena turned to her friend. "What happened, do you suppose?"

Varan shrugged. "It wreaked of evil down there is all I can tell you. Sora was knocked out by the time I got there, so I just snagged them both and brought them up here." She looked at Sora, who was white as a sheet. She frowned. "I can still smell the evil here..." She touched Sora's forehead and pulled her hand back as if he were on fire. "This is bad."

"What's bad?" Riku asked, kneeling down next to Sora as well.

"Sora's cursed, and though I know what the spell's doing, I don't know how to reverse it."

"What do you mean, you don't know how to reverse it?" Roxas could tell Riku was struggling to keep his voice level.

"Just what I said," Varan replied. "This isn't a spell I've seen before."

Kairi knelt next to Sora beside Riku. "What's it doing?" she asked in barely a whisper.

Varan pursed her lips. "It's destroying all the bonds that link him to the rest of us," she said quietly. "By this time tomorrow, he'll have no memories and a broken heart, and no one will have no memories of him."

* * *

Kairi sat next to Sora's bed in Varan's house, trying her best to hold back the tears. The news had been a shock to her more than everyone else. Roxas and Riku, though, were tied for a close second. Now, while everyone else dug through Varan's collection of magic books, from the most ancient to the most recent, for the way to reverse whatever curse had been placed upon Sora, Roxas and Kairi watched Sora to alert them if anything changed.

"It'll be all right," Roxas said, a hand on Kairi's shoulder. This was the twenty-fifth time he'd said it since that morning. He wished there was more he could do for the girl, but whatever attempts at concerned kindness were ignored. Even Riku couldn't get through to her, and he was one of her closest friends. What chance did Roxas have?

This time, though, Kairi did respond. She looked up at Roxas with eyes reddened from crying and said, "It won't be all right." Her eyes fell on Sora once more. "I can't even remember his name now... Nothing's going to be all right!"

Roxas sighed. He couldn't remember the brown-haired boy's name either. _Some former Nobody I am,_ he thought. _I can't even remember my Other's name._ He tried again to be reassuring. "Varan and the others are looking as hard as they can. They'll figure out something soon, I'm sure."

"How did I even know him?" Kairi asked weakly. "I _know_ I know him, but I can't remember how we first met or what he is to me..."

So Roxas was a little better off than Kairi then, but not by much. He sighed and sat in his bedside chair. Riku had asked him to stay with Kairi when he'd left to go help Varan search for spells for some reason. He didn't know why Riku had asked him to do so, but he couldn't refuse Riku either. So here he was, sitting with Kairi and doing his best to comfort her when she started crying.

Kairi closed her eyes and laid her head down on her arms. Roxas glanced around, found a blanket, and gently wrapped it around her. She was exhausted.

That's when he thought he saw it. Sora, who hadn't moved or made a sound since being down in the hole, had twitched. Well, more his eyes under his lids twitched, but that was still movement. Roxas hollered to the other room excitedly, reporting the change. When no one responded, he started moving to the door.

He slipped on a stray piece of paper and fell back. His hand brushed against Sora's, and everything went black.

* * *

The next thing Roxas knew, he was standing on a beach. _How in the world...?_ He stared around the strange place.

"Sora, stop crying."

"I-I can't!"

Roxas spun around and saw a five-year-old Sora sitting in shallow water with a six-year-old Riku next to him.

"It's just a scrape," Riku pointed out.

Sora held his knee and sobbed louder. "B-but it really hurts!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "If you stop crying, I'll get Mommy to bake cookies."

Sora pouted up at Riku. "Snickerdoodles**5**?"

"Yep." He offered Sora a hand. "Come on."

The scene shattered just as Sora took Riku's hand. Roxas spun around, trying to figure out where he was. He thought he saw Sora, but things brightened again. This time, Roxas was standing in a house. He turned toward the sound of a door opening.

Six-year-old Riku stood there with a duffel bag over his shoulder, sniffling. A woman with dark blonde hair stepped aside to let him in. Sora rushed up to greet his friend with a grin, but his face fell and he stopped.

"Sorry 'bout your mom, Riku," he said, a little awkwardly.

Riku gave Sora one of those angry looks and stormed past Sora and up a stairway.

Sora went to follow, but the woman—his mom—stopped him. "Sora, give Riku a little time alone."

"But—"

"No buts, Sora. Riku's a little lost and confused right now." His mom smiled. "I want you to be yourself and act like nothing's wrong, okay? The most you can do for him is to be there for him."

Sora seemed confused by his mom's words, but nodded. She kissed him lightly on the forehead, then said, "Go help Riku unpack. He's staying in the guest room."

Again, the scene shattered. This time, though, nothing else appeared. Roxas turned in a circle, trying to figure out what was happening.

He decided to shout and see if he got an answer. "Hey! Anyone here?"

Of course no one answered.

Roxas tried again. "Naminé? Riku? Anybody?"

Still no answer.

"Guys! Not funny! What's going on here?"

He took a few steps forward, then saw in the distance a person. Hopeful, he ran toward the person. A few steps covered what seemed to be miles between them, and soon he was next to none other than Sora. The thing was, though, Sora was just standing there, empty-eyed and zombie-like.

He couldn't remember Sora's name, though. He struggled for a few moments, but the name eluded him until he looked directly in the empty pools of blue in Sora's eyes. "Sora?" Roxas waved a hand in front of the other's face.

No response.

Roxas shook Sora's shoulders slightly. Still no response. "Sora, this isn't funny. Answer me."

Realizing he was getting nowhere with the other teen, Roxas glanced around the dark place once more. Here, there seemed to be small holes in the blackness, letting in bits of light, but those holes were rapidly closing up. Roxas had only felt claustrophobic once before, but something about how those holes were closing gave him a case of it now.

"Sora, we have to—" Roxas heard a cracking noise. He looked down and saw a thin chain between him and Sora, connecting them at the chest. Confused, Roxas lifted it gently to get a better look. Large cracks were forming in it, whatever it was.

Then he remembered Naminé's words from a long time ago. _"... I had to take apart the chains in Sora's heart. To get them back, he and his friends, Donald and Goofy, agreed to go to sleep while I fixed his memories."_ Then what Varan had said earlier, _"It's destroying all the bonds that link him to the rest of us."_

_Bonds...? Chains...?_ It was starting to make sense to him. The chain connecting him to Sora was the link between their hearts. The curse was the thing breaking the chain. Somehow, he had to stop the chain from breaking. But how?

Roxas thought hard. Earlier, Naminé had tried to use her power to keep Sora's memory and heart together and had ultimately failed. What could he do if that had failed? _I can try to snap Sora out of it._

"Sora, wake up!" he shouted in Sora's ear. Nothing happened.

The light spots around them were almost completely swallowed by the darkness now. The chain between them was in pretty bad shape as well. Then Roxas thought of something.

_Wait, how am I here? Where _is_ here?_ He frowned, then thought, _If there's that chain... And then those memories... Am I in Sora's heart?_ His face lit up. _And if that chains connecting us, I must be—_

No time to waste finishing that thought. Roxas focused as hard as he could. The darkness around him tried to stop him, but his Keyblades appeared in his hands with a bright flash. The darkness cringed away, as if it were a living thing.

Then he realized the darkness wasn't just plain darkness at all. It felt different... It felt more evil. Roxas raised his Keyblades, and the evil darkness backed away more.

He swung, tearing through the darkness. It was like ripping through paper. There was a huge gash where the light shown through. The gashes slowly grew bigger, as if the light were burning away the darkness. Roxas thought he heard an inhuman scream and grinned. It was working.

He swung again and again, hacking the darkness to pieces and watching as the rips and tears in it grew. Other things started joining the light. The smell of the ocean seeped through one tear. The sound of gulls echoed out of another. The taste of salt hung heavily in the air.

The darkness had been swallowing the memories, Roxas soon realized, and he was freeing them again. He looked down at the darkness still trying to eat the chain between himself and Sora and swung down. The darkness evaporated almost instantly, and the chain glowed and became whole once more.

As the memories escaped and the darkness became less and less, what remained crowded around Sora, making him almost a dark haze in the light. Roxas plunged the Shining Hope in the middle of the haze. It passed harmlessly through Sora, but the darkness dissipated.

Desperate, the last bit of darkness tried to attack Roxas. A swing of the Dark Prophet easily handled that.

Sora's eyes widened, and the entire white space was filled with color. Roxas turned one way and saw Destiny Islands. He turned another and saw Agrabah. Another turn and he saw Wonderland.

Roxas turned back to Sora, a big grin on his face. He'd done it! He'd broken whatever curse had been placed on Sora.

"Roxas?" Sora said, a little bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

The former Nobody would've answered, except that he'd vanished before Sora could even finish the question.

* * *

**1** Bet no one but me remembers that Olette has a magic laptop thing.

**2** I just couldn't resist.

**3** Carbuncle cast reflect on your party in Final Fantasy VIII. According to this fic, summoning a spirits like Carbuncle or Ifrit results in stronger magic than a regular spell, so that barrier's REALLY strong.

**4** One of Cid's limit breaks in FF VII was that he did this and threw the dynamite at the monsters. :-) I'm such a geek.

**5** Best... cookies... EVERY

...Probably one of the best chapters I've written for this, if I do say so myself. It's rare that I'm proud of my own work. XD

Anywho, tell me if you see the evil known as typos and what you thought of the chapter. Thank you.

* * *

**Varan's Discussion Room**

This'll be the last installment of my discussion room. Sailorstar's gotten too good at explaining things in the actual narrative, so there's no more point to me being here. Well, the final question I'll answer is Fluteplayer's.

Fluteplayer asks if anyone with a strong heart can make a Keyblade. The answer: yes. They ask whether that means when the Nobodies get their hearts back if they'll be able to make a Keyblade. Their Others (which technically is them anyway) would be able to produce Keyblades, but it's not automatic. They're hearts are strong enough to make a Keyblade, but they need a reason for one. It's rather complicated, I'm afraid.

Well, that's it for my Discussion Room. Thank you all who've read and asked questions. I'm sad to go, but I'm no longer needed to explain the plot. Sailorstar will answer questions on her own from now on.

Goodbye everyone! See you in the actual story rather than here!

* * *

Vivi sighed as he went home on the train. Yen Sid scheduled a day for his licensing exam. He'd soon be a mage and allowed to use magic without supervision. He'd still be learning from Yen Sid, however, and wouldn't be an actual magician, as that required another licensing exam after the mage one.

Thinking of the mage-level exam made Vivi nervous beyond belief. _Best not to think about it,_ he decided. There was no point worrying about it now. Yen Side thought he was ready, so there was no need to worry, right? Besides, he had a week to prepare for it. It wasn't like it was the next day or something.

The train came to a halt, and Vivi stepped out on the platform. Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin were waiting for him there, as always. The boy jogged up to his friends and told them the good—and scary—news.

"You'll do fine," Seifer said, turning to leave the train station. Vivi followed close behind.

"You're pretty good at the whole magic thing, ya know?" Raijin grinned. "Unless ya gotta fight a dragon or fly a broom or—"

Fujin silenced Raijin with a look. "When?" she asked.

"Next week," Vivi replied. His nerves were back thanks to Raijin. Both Fujin and Seifer could tell and gave their friend a dark look.

"I'm sure you'll do great," Seifer said. "We'll have to celebrate your passing afterward." He paused to think of what would be a good celebration.

"Ice cream?" Fujin suggested.

"Nah, we do that all the time."

"We could get an ice cream cake, ya know?"

"Think bigger."

Vivi felt himself blushing as his three friends brainstormed celebration ideas, each one getting more extravagant then its predecessor. Eventually he stopped them by saying, "I-ice cream is fine."

The three frowned at their smaller friend for not thinking big. "Ice cream cake," Seifer decided for them all, "and it'll be big with lots of sprinkles."

"J-just plain ice cream is fine, guys!" Vivi squeaked. "D-don't get too fancy on my part!"

"But it's once in a lifetime we'll get ta celebrate ya passing an exam like that, ya know?" Raijin pointed out.

"There's a magician-level exam, too."

"Yeah, but you'll be, like, fifty by then, ya know?"

Vivi sighed and felt the color in his cheeks as he said, "Can it be a chocolate-strawberry ice cream cake?"

Seifer grinned at Vivi. "Whatever you want."

Fujin stopped and pointed in front of them. "Nobody!"

The others stopped as well. A black portal had opened in front of them, and a woman with short blonde hair stepped out. She pursed her lips and looked Vivi up and down. "Vexen wants this brat?" she muttered to herself before pulling out what looked like needles. "Well, whatever he says..."

She threw the needles, one hitting each of them before they could even think to react. Vivi felt a charge surge through him, leaving him numb. Judging by how the others fell to all fours too, they'd experienced the same charge.

The woman threw Vivi over her slim shoulder easily and vanished into her dark portal.


	32. Puppet

**Chapter 32: Puppet**

When he finally regained consciousness, Roxas had a splitting headache. Naminé was peering over him anxiously, as were Olette and Hayner. They were visibly relieved when they saw his eyes open at last.

"What happened, Roxas?" Naminé asked, helping him up off the floor. "You called for us a few minutes ago, and when we came in, you were passed out on the floor."

"You certainly gave us a fright," Varan commented. "Did Sora's condition change or—"

Everyone turned to stare at Varan. "Hey! You just said 'Sora'!" Pence said excitedly. "You said Sora's name!" He was almost giddy with relief.

"You did it!" Kairi said, tears in her eyes. "Whatever you all did, it worked!"

"But we didn't do anything," Riku said, a frown on his face. "We were still hunting for spells before we heard Roxas shouting for us."

Again, everyone stared at Varan, this time waiting for an explanation. The witch seemed just as confused by the sudden turn of events as everyone else, however. "Roxas," she said evenly, "did you do something? Is that why we found you unconscious?"

"Um..." Roxas smiled awkwardly. "I slipped and touched Sora, and then... I don't know what happened... I think I ended up in his heart, and I destroyed the curse with my Keyblades... I think."

Hayner stared at Roxas, then looked at Varan and Selena. "Is that even possible?"

"Obviously it is," Selena stated. "Keyblades have mysterious power. They are able to both save and destroy both worlds and people on the whim of the user. Roxas wished to _save_ Sora, and so the Keyblades reacted to that wish. And," she added, "it probably doesn't hurt that the two of you are connected as former Nobody and Other."

"_Ungh..._"

All heads turned to Sora, who had just groaned in his sleep. The former Keybearer rolled onto his side and groaned again before opening his eyes. A large grin brightened his face, though it seemed a little pained. "My head feels like an elephant stepped on it."

"That makes sense when you figure all your memories were erased and then brought back," Olette pointed out. "You had us all worried, you loser!"

"Heh, sorry about that." Sora sat up and rubbed the back of his head and winced. "I think Saïx got a cheap shot in during the fight," he mumbled to himself, wincing again as his hand passed over a large bump.

"Glad you're back," Riku said, helping Sora out of bed.

Sora grinned at his friend, then turned to Selena. "Remember what you said before about the hero thing? It didn't work to get my Keyblade back."

"I believe I also said that I wasn't sure," Selena reminded him. "Keyblades are mysterious. There's no science to getting one. It just... happens sometimes, and you can't expect one to—"

"Guys!"

Everyone spun around. Axel was standing behind them, looking as if he'd run miles, with the portal still open for his escape. "Vexen's created a monster," he panted. "Some kind... of magical puppet that casts spells using other people's magic. The thing's practically indestructible as it is, and Vexen's trying to make it even stronger. He snatched an apprentice magician to power it."

"An apprentice?" Varan repeated. "Whose? What level?"

But Axel shook his head. "I don't know! Larxene was the one sent to grab the kid. All I can tell you is that he summoned this huge fire demon and it took a good ten minutes for Vexen and Larxene to beat that _thing_ and the kid into submission!"

"Fire demon?" Varan's eyes widened. "Ifrit?"

"That's what the kid called him," Axel replied breathlessly.

Varan covered her mouth with a hand. "What was the boy's name?" she managed.

Axel closed his eyes, then said, "Demyx is with the kid now. He says his name is Vivi and that his master is Yen Sid."

"Shiva, Ifrit, Bahamut and Odin**1**," Varan whispered. "This is bad. This is _very_ bad."

"Why's that?" Sora asked blankly. "Vivi's just an apprentice, right? Can't be that hard to—"

"Sora, he summoned the demon of fire," Riku pointed out. "That's no ordinary apprentice."

Varan nodded, hand still over mouth as if she'd be sick. "His magic is greater than even my own." She shook her head. "If Vexen's using his power..."

"I'll get you there," Axel said, stepping aside. "I don't care if I get in trouble. That _thing_ Vexen built scares me." He cursed lightly under his breath. "It's times like these I wish I was as heartless as the rest of them."

Hayner stared from Varan's shocked and frightened face to Axel's. "Am I missing something here? This is _Vivi_, right? He only just started magic stuff. He can't be that—"

"He blew Xigbar up, remember?" Pence helped Varan over to a chair, which the witch collapsed into.

"Learning spells only helps one focus magic power," Varan whispered. "From what Yen Sid has told me, the boy, Vivi, has power that could be considered... _dangerous_ if not controlled. Yen Sid even asked me to give him a limit bracelet for the boy's power." She reached into a nearby drawer and retrieved what looked like an ordinary bracelet.

Selena took this bracelet and looked at it. "Varan, if we put this on the puppet..."

"It would limit its magic power just as it would Vivi's." Varan stopped, understanding where Selena was going with this.

"If it's indestructible, we need to weaken it enough to get Vivi out," Selena explained, pocketing the bracelet. She turned to Axel, who seemed impressed by her thought process. "When you say indestructible..."

"Magic proof," Axel replied. "It has some kind of reflective thing in it that blasts spells back at the caster. Oh, and it can withstand a fire demon's claws."

Olette's eyes widened. "No way... It's that strong?"

"I bet it's the magic proofing," Riku hypothesized. "A summoned demon is like a spell, right?"

"Summons are magic embodied, yes," Varan said carefully.

"There's the problem," Riku stated flatly. "Now let's stop talking and rescue the kid."

* * *

The portal Axel opened led to a deserted back alley somewhere in the World that Never Was. It was, in fact, the same alleyway that Roxas had first met Axel in. Once they were safely out of the portal, Axel said that he had to get back before he was missed and vanished, leaving the group to fend for themselves.

"At least it's close to the castle," Sora said brightly.

"But we don't know where Vivi's being held," Donald pointed out.

"Hey, I was trying to look on the bright side!" Sora snapped at his ducky friend.

"And I was stating fact," Donald replied coldly.

Olette got between the two before a fight could break up. "Now, now," she said, trying to calm them down, "I'm sure we can find him, no problem. I bet there'll be a bunch of obvious signs for us to follow."

"Like that?" Pence asked, pointing.

There was a long almost pipe-like cord leading from the castle to somewhere past their alley. "Where do you think it leads?" Goofy asked, looking from where it apparently started to where it disappeared around a bend.

"To the magic puppet, maybe?" Naminé frowned and poked the pipe-line with her foot. "Perhaps we should split up," she suggested. "Half of us go one way and the other half go the other.

"But there's only one limit bracelet," Hayner stated flatly.

"Yes," Olette agreed, "but there's only one puppet. The cord leads to wherever they're holding Vivi in that direction," she pointed toward the castle, "and it must lead to the puppet in this direction," she pointed in the other direction. "If the puppet's magic proof, then Donald, Kairi, and I can head to where they're holding Vivi since our magic won't be wasted there."

"I'll come to," Pence volunteered. "That way, I can disable any security systems they might have to keep Vivi in and us out."

And so they divided up. Naminé, Olette, Donald, Kairi, Pence, and Riku headed to where Vivi was imprisoned while Roxas, Sora, Goofy, Hayner, and Selena went in the opposite direction.

At first, Roxas thought they were going in circles, as all the buildings looked the same in the strangely empty world. They passed skyscraper after skyscraper and eventually stumbled down a foreboding alley. The other side of the alley led to the skyscraper Vexen used as his lab, and to the rest of the group.

"Did you guys find anything?" Roxas asked hopefully as they approached Olette and the others.

"Not a thing," Pence replied. "There's a password lock on this door, and none of us can figure out the password."

"Oh please," Sora said, pushing past everyone and punching in random numbers on the keypad. The device beeped a few times, then the green "okay" light lit up.

Pence was stunned. "How did you—"

"Guessed," Sora replied with a shrug.

Riku read the numbers out loud, "1, 2, 3, 4? ...That's the code idiots put on their luggage! Why such a simple password?"

Sora grinned smugly. "He's a genius, right? He'd figure that 1, 2, 3, 4 would be so simple, nobody'd every figure it out."

"Makes as much sense as anything else around here," Roxas said before pushing open the door for everyone. Both ends of the cord led inside the dark building, which meant both their goals were somewhere within.

Their paths were the same until they reached a room with three halls going off. Inside the sterile white room was a large, unmoving robot with long arms that reminded Roxas faintly of a ghost.**2** And, just as they'd thought, the cord did lead to the monster. The biggest problem was that the other end of the cord led past the magical puppet down the hall right behind it.

"We'll distract it," Riku said, drawing his Way to Dawn just as Roxas drew his Shining Hope and Dark Prophet. "You all go and shut it down at the source."

Pence nodded. He lifted his shield and a barrier surrounded himself and those that would be useless in a fight against a magic-proof being—Sora included. Be careful, you guys," he said to those remaining.

"When have we ever not been careful?" Hayner replied sarcastically, swinging his sword.

"Gawrsh, you're never careful," Goofy said dumbly.

Hayner gave him a cold look, but soon regretted the distraction.

The puppet at last moved and swung one of its long arms at Hayner. The swordsman barely blocked the heavy blow, but that gave Riku a chance to swing at the now unprotected body. The puppet raised an arm and started throwing every spell in the book at its enemies, even ones they'd never seen before.

Following Riku's lead, Roxas dodged a particularly nasty Firaga spell and started to pummel the puppet as well, but nothing seemed to be damaging the robot. Even their most powerful swings seemed to glance off Vexen's latest invention. _At least the others got past it,_ he thought before swinging at it again, this time getting a direct blow at its head. As expected, the attack did no damage

"Selena! The limit bracelet!" Riku shouted, managing to pin down one arm as Hayner kept busy with the other.

"Right!" Selena dug the bracelet out of her pocket and threw it at their opponent.

The puppet either didn't think or wasn't very smart. It swatted Hayner away and plucked the jeweled bracelet from the air. It stared at the strange object for a moment, then let out a mechanical screech as the bracelet wrapped itself around the robot's wrist.

"You're wide open!" Roxas shouted, stabbing at the distracted puppet with both Keyblades at once.

Whatever had been protecting the oversized doll from their blows seemed to have been weakened by the magical bracelet, for when the Keyblades hit, they sliced through the puppet like it were nothing more than smoke.

The puppet threw another spell, this one a Thunder spell, but it fizzled before it even hit the fighters. Riku, Roxas, Hayner, and Goofy didn't let their guard down, even when the broken arms hung limply at the puppet's sides. In fact, they didn't lower their weapons until the ghost-like doll stopped floating and crashed to the ground.

"Either that's one heck of a bracelet, or they got Vivi," Hayner commented, kicking still remains of their adversary. "So, should we catch up to them and get the heck out of here?"

"One sec," Riku said, swinging his Keyblade a few more times to chop the robotic puppet to pieces. Once it resembled sliced bread and Riku was satisfied that it would take Vexen months to reassemble the crazy thing, they headed down the tiled hall that the others had used.

It didn't take long to find where everyone else was. At the end of the giant cord was a metal room with a shattered glass pod in the center. Olette was trying to help Vivi stand, while Pence messed with the computer. Upon closer inspection, the expert hacker was deleting all the files Vexen had stored there.

"It's about time you guys got here!" Sora said, leaning on the hefty sword Varan had given him. "We were all starting to think the evil puppet got you."

A dark portal appeared in the room, and a woman's voice sounded. "A shame it didn't, really. I doubt anything it could have done would have been as terrible as what I'll do to you." A hooded figure soon joined the voice from the darkness. Larxene lowered her hood and smiled sourly at them. "Now tell me, how did you get here so quickly, hmm?"

Another portal appeared, and this time Axel stepped free from the darkness. He readied his weapons, though it was obviously just to fool the other Nobody.

"Perhaps..." Larxene spun around and threw a dozen needles at Axel, "a traitor?!"

It all happened so quickly that Axel didn't get the chance to dodge. The needles slammed into him one after another, knocking him to the ground. He struggled to get up, but that was ended when the needles sparked and forced an electric current through his body. The Nobody cried out in pain, and then lay still.

"Axel!" Roxas drew his Keyblades once more. "What did you do to him?"

Larxene smirked in amusement. "Once a traitor, always a traitor, I suppose," she muttered to herself, "and you know what we do to traitors, Roxas. You should know that better than anyone."

"No..." Roxas's eyes widened. Axel couldn't be dead. He was a Nobody. He'd fade away like all the others, wouldn't he? But... the others hadn't had that much of their heart back either. "You... killed him?"

The blond nudged Axel with her foot. "It would seem I did," she taunted. She turned back and drew a few more of her needles. "What, you think you can do something about it, little boy?"

Roxas narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. He stopped when Naminé grabbed his arm. "She's egging you on," she whispered. "Don't fall for it, or you'll end up like Axel." She tried to smile when he looked at her. "Brute strength isn't going to win this fight, Roxas. You have to think a bit."

It took a few seconds for Roxas to understand what she meant. Well, a few seconds and a glance at the various magic users. Everyone had their wands drawn, even Vivi, who looked absolutely drained.

"Yeah, we can do something about it," Roxas said, turning back to the female Nobody. "And there's nothing_ you_ can do about it!" He grabbed Naminé and got them both out of the way.

"Now!" Donald commanded. "Waterga!"

Water gushed out of everyone's wands and staffs as the various magic users chorused the water spell. Larxene held her arms up, but that didn't stop the tidal wave that slammed into her and knocked her back. When the rush of water dissipated, the lightning user was left on the ground, shaking in anger.

"You little brats!" she shouted, lifting her arms. "I'll kill you all for that!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Olette said smugly even as the Nobody summoned her lightning. "You seem to forget that water conducts electricity and that you are completely soaked with it."

Larxene's eyes widened, but it was too late to stop the bolts of lightning surging through the air. She shrieked as the charge ran through her limbs instead of launching at the magic users like she had planned. And instead of frying everyone to a crisp, she ended up doing significant damage to herself; enough, in fact, to make her collapse to all fours and to cause her to start disappearing like the other defeated Nobodies.**3**

"H-how..." she choked out. Determined, she struggled to stand, to continue fighting despite her vanishing form.

"You've lost," Roxas said, dispelling his Keyblades. "Just give up, would you?"

The Nobody's eyes narrowed. "I'm not giving up," she growled. "You aren't going to win! I won't lose to you!" She jerked her head up and lifted her arms to charge for another attack. The sudden movement, though, sent a necklace tumbling from her coat. Attached to the small gold chain was a tiny jar with a few shards of some kind of red crystal.

And Roxas recognized the shards. "Those are..."

"They're nothing!" Larxene snapped, her gloved hand wrapping around the jar so they couldn't see the contents. It didn't do much good, as her fingers were becoming transparent. "They're... nothing..." Her strength at gave out, and she collapsed to her knees, still gripping the jar in an attempt to protect their contents.

Selena dug in her bag and found a yellow heart that sparked with electricity. She approached, but as she was about to give the crystal to Larxene, the woman started speaking again.

"I was always jealous of you, Roxas," she babbled, her eyes dulling. "You and Axel were close... I hated how the smiles he gave you were genuine, but the ones for me seemed fake..." The hand around the glass jar fell to her side. "You had that effect on everyone, Roxas," she continued. "Anyone you became close to liked you instantly, and their emotions always seemed real. Even me... I felt that power once, and it scared me..." She looked at Roxas, tears streaming from her blank eyes and a smile on her face. "I asked the Superior... Nobodies have powers, like Axel controls fire or Saïx draws power from the moon... He thought yours might be making people feel like they had hearts..."

Her body was almost completely gone now, but still she continued uselessly, "Before I became a Nobody, I knew Axel... and I fell in love with him. I still remember that feeling, even as a Nobody... You helped me feel it again..."

"We're running out of time," Selena muttered. She offered Larxene the heart. "If you take this, you'll be human again, and you'll still exist. _Please_, take it."

Larxene's empty eyes turned to Selena. "Even if I take it, there'd be no point. Traitor or no, Axel is..."

"Axel will follow you soon," Selena promised. "I swear, I'll make sure you both see each other again."

"Such pretty words," Larxene muttered, touching the heart in Selena's hands. In a flash of light, they were both gone. All that remained to prove that the Nobody had once been there was the jar with Axel's heart shards in them, which Hayner picked up and inspected, as if to tell whether they were real or not.

"They really are Axel's heart shards," Selena said, snatching them away from Hayner. She popped the cork out of the top and dumped the three shards into her hand.

Donald raised an eyebrow at Selena's calm handling of the situation. "She was a loon, keeping those like that."**4**

"She probably just found them somewhere and they made her _feel_ things," Selena explained. "A heart shard is a heart shard, even if it isn't yours. She probably started having emotions again and couldn't throw these out because of it." She smiled ruefully as she knelt next to Axel. "Those without hearts can't feel emotions properly, so the shards probably drove her mad. All in all, it makes our job easier, at least."

"But Axel's dead, isn't he?" Pence asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.

"He's still a Nobody," Riku reminded them. "Part of a heart or no, he would've disappeared like Larxene and all the others did if he'd died. He probably just got stunned."

"And Riku would be right," Axel replied, sitting up and plucking all of Larxene's needles out of his chest. "I heard the whole thing, by the way." He held out his hand for the couple of shards, which Selena more than happily gave him. They sunk into his hand, and he sighed.

"So did you have feelings for her?" Kairi asked.

Axel barked out a laugh. "Heck yes! You should've seen her before the whole Nobody thing! She was the best girl a guy could ask for... When we all got turned into Nobodies... well, she became the cold-hearted witch we all know and hate."

"Do you still like her?" Olette asked, a little pushier in the question than Kairi had been.

This time, Axel had to think about his answer. After a few moments, he said at last, "Even after all this, yes, I still do." His smile grew. "I mean, the whole crazy thing was a bit weird, but hey, if she's back to her old sweet self, I'm willing to forgive all the nasty things she's said to me these past years." He frowned. "Why do you ask, anyway?"

"It's best not to question the Romance novel fangirls," Hayner whispered to him.

"Well, if that's it," Axel said, standing up and dusting himself off. "I've got things I need to..." He trailed off. "What the...?"

"Something wrong?" asked Naminé.

"Yeah. I can't open a portal." Axel crossed his arms and glared at the space in front of him, as if that would make the portal he wanted to appear.

It didn't take a leap of the imagination to solve that mystery, and Goofy was the one to make the bright suggestion. "Gawrsh, are you still a Nobody? 'Cause if ya aren't, maybe you can't open one of them there portals."

Everyone stared at Goofy and his brief bit of wisdom. Then all eyes turned on Axel once more, who had just closed his eyes.

"I think you're right, Goofy," Axel said, his face lighting up. "I'm _not_ a Nobody anymore! That's awesome!" He started cheering, but froze. "Then how the heck do I get out of here?"

"I can give you a lift to Twilight Town," Lexaeus offered, stepping out of a portal in the middle of the group. "I figured I'd have to take Vivi back, so another person isn't that bad." He walked over to the little apprentice in question and lifted him up. The boy was so exhausted that after the water spell, he'd just passed out. He walked back to the portal, then paused when Axel just stood there staring. "You coming or what?"

"Oh, right!" Axel grinned at Roxas and the others. "I'll see you guys later, then." He waved a quick farewell and stepped through the portal right after Lexaeus and Vivi.

* * *

**1** Magician's version of "Oh God..." If you've ever played Final Fantasy, you'll recognize those as various summons.

**2** If you've ever played Final Fantasy XII, it looks sort of like the Ghost monster from that.

**3** I never liked her. Thus the self-destructive death.

**4** Again, don't like her much, so I decided to make her a bit off her rocker.

...I once again have the intense urge to bash my head against something hard because of this chapter. Larxene came out a little crazy and out of character, but that's explained in my little notes up above. XD

Anyway, thank you for reading. And for those keeping count, the only Nobodies left are Xemnas and Vexen, not counting our wonderful traitors Lexaeus and Demyx. And that means only a few more chapters.

No Vivi story today, guys, simply because it wouldn't be fun to just write about poor unconscious Vivi. Thanks for reading, once again!


	33. The Land of Snow and Ice

**Chapter 33: Land of Snow and Ice**

"Now what?" Donald asked as they flew away from The World that Never Was at top speed. They hadn't run into Xemnas or Vexen, the two remaining Nobodies not on their side, but they weren't taking any chances.

"We wait for some kind of news on where to go next," Sora replied patiently. Ironically, he was the only patient person in the group. "No point world hopping if we have no idea where to go."

Riku raised an eyebrow at his best friend for years. "Who are you and what have you done with Sora. Is a Heartless impersonating again?"

Sora made a face and turned back to the heavy sword he was cleaning because he had nothing better to do. "Pacing's not going to do much of anything, Riku, and neither is going to a world without any leads. There are just too many to go to each and check for that portal."

So Sora _did_ remember their primary mission. They'd been so running around like chickens with their heads cut off for the past week—had it only been a week?—that they'd all forgotten. Even Xiruk, Riku's rather odd Nobody, had shifted to the back of everyone's minds in the race to rescue this or defeat that.**1**

"So what's the plan?" Olette asked. "Anywhere you want to go?"

"Why would that matter?" Pence asked. "Sora wanting to go to a world is hardly a lead."

"Well, Selena always asked me where I wanted to go, so—" He stopped, and everyone turned to Selena for the answer. Why _had_ they gotten directions from Sora all along?

The best explanation the girl could offer, however, was, "Keyblades have mysterious powers. I figured one as ancient and powerful as Sora's could point us to the Door through Sora, as it was around when the Realms supposedly split."

Well, that wasn't the answer everyone had been hoping for. Their whole journey had been based on a guess. Not only that, the guess had almost nothing to back it up. There was a little logic to it, yes, but in truth they'd been on a fool's errand.

"We're doomed," Kairi muttered, face in her hands. "There's no way we'll find the Door to Darkness if we're just relying on Sora."

Sora pouted. "Hey, it turned out okay all those other times," he pointed out. "I've saved the worlds a bunch of times with the Keyblade."

"But you don't have the Keyblade anymore," Hayner replied irritably. "You're just like the rest of us now!"

"Gawrsh, that wasn't very nice," Goofy protested.

Things were deteriorating fast. Everyone was arguing, blaming each other and fighting over nothing. And soon, Roxas had to jump into the fray to end it before their friendships could be permanently damaged.

"Stop it!" Roxas shouted.

Everyone froze.

"Look," he said, trying his best to keep his voice even. "We don't have any leads. So what? We can sit here and do nothing while we wait who knows how long for clues, or we can go search for ourselves. Wandering aimlessly is still better than not doing anything." There was a murmur of agreement from his friends and comrades. Roxas took the chance. "I say we let Sora or Riku pick our next destination because they have the most world-traveling experience—no offense Donald," he added quickly, seeing that the duck was a little offended by the statement.

"None taken," Donald muttered angrily.

"Anyway," Roxas continued, "no matter where we go, we have to work together as a team. That's our strength. The Organization was never a team, and the Heartless have _never_ worked together. If we work together, nothing can beat us!"

He knew his words were cheesy and cliché, but they were the best he could come up with on such short notice. He bit his lip, hoping the others would see the logic in what he said.

At first, no one reacted. Then, slowly, everyone apologized to each other and agreed with Roxas. They couldn't fight amongst themselves. They had to be ready to work together to kick Heartless and Nobody butt.

"So where to?" Selena asked, turning to the ship's control panel.

Sora and Riku looked to each other, but neither really had any idea of where they could go. They'd gone to just about every world Sora had ever been to, and going to new uncharted territory could prove dangerous. A new world meant new people and cultures. It would be like joining in on a game without knowing the rules. It would be obvious they didn't belong. Sora, Donald, and Goofy before had been a small, usually inconspicuous group, and Riku had always traveled alone or with Mickey and could always disappear into the background when necessary. With so many people, it would be hard to just appear and disappear without disrupting the world order.

So in the end, it was Kairi who suggested the world for her two friends.

"Destiny Islands."

Sora and Riku gaped at her a moment before bursting into a chorus of complaints.

"We can't go there!"

"We've missed so much school, the truancy officer will come for us!"

"What're we supposed to tell Tidus and Wakka and everyone?"

"They'll want to know where we've been."

"And what about our parents? I know we told them it was for the sake of the worlds, but they'll still kill us for being gone so long!"

"Well, they'll kill you. Dad probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone yet."

Sora gave his friend a cold look and a punch in the arm.

"Oh, come on," Kairi said, rolling her eyes, "we haven't checked there for anything yet, and for all we know, the Door to Darkness really could be there. Besides, I know you guys are at least a little homesick."

This started up a whole new chorus, this one of denial.  
"Am not!"

"Why would I be homesick? I've been gone longer than this."

"Yeah! If anyone's homesick it's—"

"Quiet!" Kairi shouted, silencing the two instantly. "We're going to Destiny Islands, and that's final."

No one dared argue with Kairi. Either they were scared of what a girl raised with Sora and Riku could do, or as in Olette's case, in full agreement of their next destination.

* * *

And so, they blasted off to Sora, Riku, and Kairi's home world.

What they found when they got their, stunned everyone into silence. The group had expected to find a tropical island with palm trees and sand. What they _found_, however, was a couple snow-covered patches of land surrounded by water. The palms were akimbo with icicles and snow, creaking and groaning as they dipped closer to the ground under the impossible weight, then swinging back up like a catapult when enough of their burden slid off. Ice and hard-packed snow replaced the sand they had anticipated. The tide was frozen in place with a think layer of ice, much like a hockey rink's.

And it was cold. It was unbearably cold.

"What's going on here?" Sora asked, teeth chattering. He rubbed his arms in an attempt to fight off the chill. "It's not December yet, is it?"

"Sora! Riku! Kairi!"

The three in question turned in time to see a purple Eskimo barrel into Kairi. The girl tossed back her furry hood and grinned at the three. "Long time no see! Did you bring the mainland's snow back with you or something?"

"So it isn't usually snowy here?" Pence asked, staring around the snow-covered mass that could once be called a tropical island.

"Of course not!" Selphie laughed. "How far north are you guys from? We only get a frost around Christmas time!" She shivered as a glacial breeze blew through. "Anyway, you guys should get some coats and stuff. It's supposed to snow again later."

Sora and Riku looked at each other dubiously. "Snow?" they repeated. Snow wasn't normal on the island. Sure, they'd gotten a light dusting here and there during Christmas time, but usually it was hot and humid this time of year. Even frost was unheard of this early.

They grabbed Roxas and pulled him into a huddle. "Can Vexen do this?" Riku asked

That threw Roxas for a loop. "Uh..." They were looking at him expectantly. "I don't think he could make the temperature drop this much for a whole _island_," he said doubtfully. "If he had something helping him, like a machine or something, maybe."

"This is Vexen we're talking about," Sora pointed out. "Vexen definitely has a machine helping him." He paused, thinking a moment, then said, "Think he's got a giant snow maker like they have at the ski places on the mainland?"

"A giant evil one," Riku agreed.

"So now we've just got to find it!" Sora said excitedly.

Selphie raised an eyebrow at the three. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," Riku said, just quickly enough to not be thought out but not too quick to be suspicious. He must've gotten really good at that while he was away from the island.

But Selphie wasn't falling for it. "Sora was getting too excited for nothing."

Riku gave Sora a dirty look before turning back to Selphie. "Sora thinks that they'll turn the islands into a ski resort if this weather keeps up."

"Oh, well, that makes sense," Selphie said, turning back around to lead the group away from the snow-covered beaches toward the center of the island, where houses that looked like they were straining under the snow puffed smoke from their chimneys. Here the wind was less in the shelter of the town, but it was still too cold. At least, it was too cold for the islanders who were used to the tropical sun. Those from Twilight Town were used to this, being from a world with a cold, icy climate in winter.

"So what's been going on since we left?" Kairi asked conversationally. It was a good move, as it seemed that Selphie would ask about the other worlders any second.

This perked up the brown-haired girl. "Well," she said, lengthening out the word as all gossip queens did, "Wakka's got a girlfriend!"

"No way."

"Yes way! Lulu asked him out!"

"Then Lulu's finally over Chappu?"

Selphie nodded solemnly. "Well, it's been a year since she dumped Chappu. It's about time she got a new BF." She shrugged. "Still, I can't believe she's dating his _brother_. That's just weird on so many levels."**2**

Then she did a 180 on her gossip. "Oh, and I've broken up with Irvine," she said matter-of-factly.

Kairi's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Because he's more interested in that BB Gun of his than in me."

Sora broke into this one to defend a friend. "For the record, Selphie, you paid more attention to your trains than you did to him."

"That's different."

"Not by much," Riku muttered.

Selphie glared. This was completely normal, her breaking up with Irvine. They'd always get back together after their tempers had cooled and then they'd be happy as clams until their next fight, when the cycle would repeat itself.

"Anyway," Olette said, breaking up the gossip. "How long has it been snowing like this? You said the weather's not like this usually around this time of year."

At this, Selphie shook her head. "It's _never_ like this. Even in the middle of winter, we don't get snow. Or if we do, it doesn't pile up like this." She gestured at the snowbanks around her. "This is getting ridiculous. School's been canceled for three days."

"So it's only snowed like this three days?" Donald prompted, seeing an opening.

"Yeah. It lightened up a bit yesterday, but now it's coming down again full force. See?" She pointed to the sky. A couple snowflakes were drifting down. "It's only gonna get worse. We better get inside before we're snowed out."

Selphie waved goodbye and jogged down a cleared path toward her own home, leaving the others to their real duty.

Selena retrieved the almost forgotten compass from her bag and held it out. The needle spun like a top, just as it had before when they were in the Coliseum. So there was a heart shard hidden away somewhere. Everyone groaned.

"Now what?" Hayner asked.

"We search for the shard, obviously," Naminé replied, looking around the white hills known as Destiny Islands.

Again, groans. "In all this snow? If it's out there, it's buried!"

"You guys aren't very smart, are you?"

Everyone looked up. Sitting atop the nearest palm tree was Xiruk, grinning down at them all like a Cheshire Cat. "Roxas said it himself, after all. Vexen could only do this with a machine. What do you think he's using to power such a thing, since you took his main magical power source?"

"Now that's a silly question," Goofy replied to the annoying Nobody. "He must be using the Heart Shard."

Face-palms went all around the group. How could they not have thought of that?

"So where is it?" Riku asked.

"Like I'd tell you."

Selena stepped forward. "Could you please tell us where Vexen's keeping it?"

Xiruk frowned. "What do I get if I tell you?"

"What do you want?" Selena asked simply.

The Nobody's grin widened. "So you _do_ know how to play this game." He looked thoughtful for a moment, but when he said, "A heart," Roxas knew he'd had all this thought out ahead of time.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Selena said quietly.

"Then no deal."

"Oh, come on!" Sora shouted. "Just tell us where the stupid machine is. We've got to destroy it before the Islands become one giant ice cube!"

Xiruk smirked. "A little late for that," he commented, catching a snowflake in his hand. It wasn't hard, considering how much of it was falling. "If you don't hurry it up, this place might turn into Christmas Town." He opened a dark portal and vanished.

"Jerk!" Hayner called a little too late. "Geez, what's his problem?"

Pence shrugged. "He's a Nobody. Maybe he just wants a heart like the rest of them. Anyway, we should figure out where Vexen's hiding." He knelt down, dug a stick out of the snow, and used the light dusting as a canvas. "So, we know he has to be somewhere on the Islands," he said, scratching that in the sandy snow. "We also know he has to be someplace hidden."

"The place probably has to be outside so he can access the atmosphere," Olette added, and Pence wrote that down as well.

Those three limits down, Pence looked up at Sora, Riku, and Kairi. "Can you guys think of any place like that?" They looked clueless. "Any place at all."

Then it dawned on Sora. "The Secret Place!" he said triumphantly. "There's a big opening in the rock where the wind blows through and sounds like a monster. It's on the Island we use as a hangout without any adults, and in this weather, it'd be tough to get over there by boat. It's the perfect hiding spot."

The entire group stared at him, making Sora feel rather uncomfortable—a rare event indeed. "What?"

"You actually used your brain," Donald said, small tears in his eyes. "I'm so proud of you!"

Sora made a face at his fowl friend, but was unable to pursue the issue as an exceptionally strong gale roared through, kicking up the powdery snow in its wake and blinding them with dust.

"First, I think we need something to protect us from the weather." Kairi hugged herself and rubbed her bare arms to try to stay warm. Unfortunately, everyone was dressed for the tropics and not for the arctic.

Donald lifted his staff and waved it. _Poof_. Everyone was dressed in ski gear and wearing goggles to keep the flurries of snow and sand out of their eyes. "This'll only last an hour at most between so many people, so we've got to hurry."

And with that time limit in mind, they were off. It was slow going, and by the time they reached the docks, the snow was up to their knees, for whatever headway some poor fool had made in shoveling had been demolished by the gusting wind and pounding snow.

What was worse, the boats were all frozen in place. This was easily fixed, however, as someone had ingeniously left out a heavy metal pipe to smash the ice to tiny bits, which Hayner more than happily did to free a couple boats. And then, like George Washington and the Delaware, they crossed the small patch of ice-filled water between islands and got to the other dock.

From there, they slipped and slid through the ice—for it was ice now, not snow—to the secret place. Surprisingly enough, there were no Heartless or Nobodies about, except for Vexen in the Secret Place, of course.

It took them a good twenty minutes to trek what should've been a five minute walk, and when they reached Vexen's hiding spot, they were met by a huge sheet of ice blocking the doorway. At this, Donald and Olette pulled out their wands and blasted it with their most powerful fire spells, but that Vexen had thought of that, so the ice didn't melt. Irritated, they blasted harder with heavier barrages, but still nothing.

"You guys could always climb up here," Xiruk called from the rock face above. "Not that I really think you can do it, of course."

"Just shut up and give us a hand," Hayner growled.

"But it's fun to watch you struggle."

Hayner drew his sword and swung it threateningly at the Nobody. "When I get up there, I'll wipe the floor with you!"

"I'll believe it when I see it."

That did it. Hayner sheathed his sword and started scrambling up the frozen rock face. It was slick, however, so whenever he seemed to be getting somewhere, he'd slide all the way back down, much to Xiruk's amusement.

"I suppose I'll just have to help you bunch of losers." He opened a dark portal before him, and another popped up right in front of the group. "Your pathetic attempts have ceased to be amusing."

While the others hesitated, Roxas stepped right through, and as expected, came out right by the opening into the Secret Place from above. Unlike the door below, a sheet of ice didn't shield this and Roxas could see into the cavern. But for some reason, Vexen was nowhere to be found. Only a large machine sat in the ice cavern.

"This is it?" Hayner glanced around the otherwise empty cave. He leaned further into the hole. "Nobody's in there. We might as well jump in and smash the machine to itty bits before he gets here."

"Wait!" Xiruk hissed, but it was too late. Hayner had already gone down, sword drawn. "Moron. Things aren't always as they appear."

Riku rolled his eyes and silently drew his Keyblade. "I'll get him."

But Xiruk grabbed Riku's arm. "He hasn't tripped the security yet. If you jump down, you might."

Sora frowned at the Nobody. "How do you know all this."

Xiruk raised an eyebrow at the former Keybearer. "Did you think I was sitting around doing nothing the whole time I wasn't bothering you? You know what, don't answer that." He called softly down to Hayner, "Don't move. You might trigger the security system, and if you do, you'll think out here was downright tropical."

Hayner gulped.

"Just do what I say," Xiruk said firmly. Hayner nodded, so the Nobody continued, "On your left there should be a metal box. That's a bomb with ultraviolet lights. _That's_ the security system. Disarm it."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Hayner snapped.

"It probably would've been a better idea to send Pence down," Olette muttered.

Xiruk smiled ruefully. "Too late now. The more people down there, the more likely the beams'll get broken."

"Hayner," Selena called, "catch this!"

She tossed a purple lens that looked almost like an large magnifying glass. Hayner caught it and stared at it.

"What do I do with this?"

"It's a Lens of Truth,"**3** she explained quickly. "It shows things that the human eye can't see. Look through that to dodge the security beams."

"Smart," Xiruk commented. "Guess there are advantages to knowing just about every powerful magician alive in the past millenium."

Using the lens, Hayner carefully picked his way around the room, eventually reaching the metal box. Lucky for them, Vexen hadn't returned yet, and Naminé, who was keeping watch on the cliff near the sealed entrance, hadn't spotted him. Granted, Vexen would probably warp in with a dark portal if he was any significant distance away, so Naminé's keeping watch on the off chance he'd walked someplace nearby.

It turned out that was a good idea, for Vexen had just gone out for a walk and was on his way back by the time Hayner was able to disable the security on Xiruk's instructions.

"Hurry! Break the machine!" Sora called down.

"He can't. It has to be turned off before he smashes it. It's a bomb otherwise." Xiruk hopped down and started typing on the keyboard attached to the weather machine. He cursed quietly. "It wants a password."

"Try 1234!" Sora called down.

Xiruk did, but shook his head. "Negative. He must've changed it after you hacked that keypad."

Pence hopped down and started typing. "There has to be a backdoor somewhere, but it'll take me time to find it."

"Time we don't have." Xiruk drew his Soul Reaper blade. "We'll have to fight now, hack that thing later."

Riku and Sora went down and drew their weapons. "Stay up there," Riku called to Donald, Goofy, Olette, Kairi, Naminé, Roxas, and Selena. "There's not enough room for all of us. You guys stay up there and use magic."

The ground group hid behind the carved rocks, and Roxas noticed that Sora rushed to take the one closest to the strange door that contained the Keyhole, so when Vexen entered his makeshift laboratory, he found nobody there.

Unsuspectingly, he went over to his machine and stopped. They hadn't had time to exit out of the password screen before he got there.

"Come out!" Vexen shouted, summoning his ice shield. "I know you're in here. Come out now, and I might not kill you."

Xiruk took the heat and stepped out from his hiding place. "You got me," he said, raising his arms in surrender.

"Hmph." Vexen pointed his frozen weapon at the other Nobody. "I should've known the traitor would be behind this."

Xiruk smirked. "And you should've known I wouldn't have busted in here alone. Everyone!"

Sora and the rest came out of hiding, weapons at the ready. Pence hung back by the cave's entrance and the opening in the rock wall to make sure Vexen's attacks didn't stray and hit the magic users above. The others, meanwhile, charged.

Sora swung; Vexen blocked. Hayner jabbed from behind; Vexen dodged. Xiruk attacked; Vexen swung his shield and hit him hard. The magicians up above blasted him with fire spells; Vexen brought up an ice barrier that blocked the flames and melted. No matter what they did, the group couldn't lay a hand on the slippery ice user.

"He's gotten better since I kicked his butt," Sora panted. "Now what?"

"Now you all die," Vexen replied darkly. He took a few steps back and held up a hand. A frozen, snowy blizzard-like wind burst forth, hitting all those in its way and slowly encasing its targets in a thin layer of ice.

But his powerful attack had missed one person. Xiruk rushed forward while the other Nobody was wide open and tried to lop Vexen's arm off. As if sensing his approach, Vexen spun and materialized a giant ice shard, which slammed straight through. Xiruk let out a surprised cry and staggered back, hand gripping the lethal icy dagger.

_Oh no._ Roxas went to jump down, but Naminé held him back.

"You can't," Naminé whispered. "There's not enough room down there for you to maneuver with two blades. They're all having trouble with just one."

She had a point. Roxas grudgingly nodded and watched as Sora launched in for another attack.

This time, Vexen took no prisoners. He smashed Sora's sword like it was made of glass and knocked him back with one swing of his shield. "How the mighty have fallen," he observed. "You're weak without that Keyblade of yours. Seeing you now, I wonder why the Organization had such an interest in you. I might as well just destroy you now and all your friends. Or perhaps I should kill that girl first—Kairi, wasn't it?"

"I won't let you hurt anyone, especially not Kairi," Sora muttered. Standing, he held his hand out in front of him, as if possessed by some kind of power. That power gathered in his hand as a golden light and stretched and contorted. It became long, and a golden wire heart spread from the tip, forming a key.**4**

Vexen took a step back, this time in surprise rather than readying for a powerful attack. "How...? I've never seen such a thing!"

Sora launched at the mad scientist and swung hard. The Nobody held up his shield, but this time, he couldn't block. The new Keyblade sliced nicely through Vexen's weapon. It passed through the Nobody, leaving no mark but causing mass damage.

Vexen stumbled and fell, coughing as his body started dissolving because of the invisible mortal wound. "You... How...?"

"Don't underestimate someone who's got a heart," Sora stated. "It's all clear, guys," he called up to those waiting up above.

Hayner helped all the girls down and left Donald, Goofy, and Roxas on their own as he followed Selena over to Vexen. The Nobody had slipped into unconsciousness, so there was no resistance as she placed his heart back where it belonged.

Riku, meanwhile, was standing over his own Nobody, who was breathing heavily from his injury.

"Well, looks like I'm finished," he said, his voice still carrying its usual sarcasm despite his condition. "Oh well. You only can win so many times, right?"

"What's going to happen to him?" Kairi asked.

"He'll rejoin Riku," Naminé explained quietly. "He'll cease to exist, like myself and Roxas."

Pence frowned, and then pointed out, "But you guys came back, so won't he still exist someplace inside of Riku, still?"

"He's a piece of Riku that gained shape when he lost his heart. The personality and shape may disappear, but that piece won't."

Xiruk nodded to Naminé, then looked up at Riku. "I'll be going back to you whether I like it or not, so I have one request."

Riku shook his head. "I can't give you a heart anymore than Selena can."

Xiruk chuckled. "I know that. I'm not stupid." His breath caught. "What I want to ask you is something completely different. I'm a piece of you, so I know and want many of the things you always have. I guess you could say that I'm the you you've always wanted to be without any of the rules keep me from doing those things." He closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply. It didn't work very well, but he continued anyway. "You've _got_ to stop being so serious. You're still a kid, even if you won't admit it, so start acting like one." He grinned. "You don't have to look out for everyone. Take a leap from Sora's book for once and be irresponsible."

Sora pouted. "Hey! I'm not that bad!"

His protest was ignored, though. Riku offered a hand. "I'll do my best."

Xiruk took his Other's hand. "If you don't, I'll haunt you in your dreams," he threatened jokingly before disappearing completely.

There was a moment of silence, but only a moment before Pence went over to hack the weather machine that was still making the island a frozen wasteland. While he did that, Sora inspected his brand new Keyblade.

It was gold and silver, just like the old Kingdom Key. There was a gold wire heart at the top, giving it its key-shape. The pole was two silver wires leading all the way down to the hilt with the ends ending in a curl. The hilt was like the Oathkeeper's, but gold and silver rather than white and blue. And it radiated power.

"So what's it called?" Roxas asked, remembering how he'd had to say his Keyblades' names before he could dispel them.

"Destiny's Gate," Sora replied, swinging it once before making it vanish. "I guess this means I'm back in the game, huh?"

"Good thing, too," Pence said from the keyboard. He turned to the others. "It's turned off, so let's bust this thing."

"Gladly." Hayner did the honors and violently smashed the thing to pieces.

Something glittered in the wreckage. Roxas bent down and scooped up not one, but two heart shards. "No wonder the thing was so powerful," he said, showing everyone what he'd found. One shard was blue with musical notes swirling within it, while the other had changing rock formations inside.

Selena put these into her bag and retrieved the compass. The needle showed blue. They all sighed.

"Let's just go to my house," Riku said, trudging out of the thawing cave. "It's getting late. We can come up with a plan in the morning."

And so, they all left, hearts heavy with disappointment.

* * *

**1** For those who forgot, they're searching for the Door to Darkness, though that mission got put on hold. Xiruk, who last appeared in Chapter 15, has been rather quiet lately. Must be plotting something or hiding out somewhere.

**2** Lulu is from FFX, as is Chappu.

**3** Legend of Zelda, anyone?

**4** You know the heart behind the title on the game cover? That's the shape

Sorry for how long it took me to update this. School started, so I was swallowed by work. On the bright side, it _is_ a long chapter, so hopefully I've made up for my absence.

I'd also like to say two things. Obviously, I had no idea about 358/2 Days when I started and planned out this fic, so there will be _NO_ acknowledgement to that game. As far as this fic is concerned, it doesn't exist. That, and I won't be getting it until Christmas. And as for Birth By Sleep, that won't be referred to either.

As always, thank you for reading! As always, I appreciate it when you point out mistakes.

And now for some Vivi time.

* * *

Vivi opened his eyes slowly when he finally woke up. Seifer and the others leaned closer, excited that their friend had finally regained consciousness.

"Here," Fujin said, offering an ether.

Raijin nodded dumbly. "It'll make you feel better, ya know?"

Vivi took it and drag it in a few gulps. It did make him feel better, but he still was a bit drained. He'd have to take a break from magic class for a little bit. "Where am I?"

"Back home," Seifer said calmly. "One of the Nobodies brought you back."

"What?!"

"Well, he wasn't a Nobody anymore, ya know?" Raijin said quickly. "He's a friend of Roxas's, and he's bought that one old shop building to make a fireworks store! It's gonna be awesome, ya know?"

Just what they needed. Access to fireworks. At least one had to be eighteen in Twilight Town to buy some of the bigger ones, so at best they'd only have access to sparklers and similar things.

But none of that mattered to Vivi. He asked excitedly, "Is it open yet?"

"Nah. He's got to fix up the old shop before he can start selling anything." Seifer grinned and put a hand on Vivi's shoulder. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

Vivi nodded and managed to climb out of bed, though he still felt a little dizzy from the lack of magic. Strong magic had always been a part of him, and to have it mostly gone—even with the help of an ether—was almost overwhelming. "Can we go check it out?"

"You feeling well enough too?"

The little mage nodded.

"Then I don't see why not." Seifer stood and went to leave, but paused at the door. "Oh, and your Master came to check on you while you were sleeping. Your mom's going to question you on this."

Vivi groaned. He hadn't told his mother because he was afraid of how she'd react to his 'talent'. "Thanks for the warning."

Seifer grinned. "No problem."

* * *

Thankfully, Vivi's mother was still at work—she was a veterinarian—so they could go without Vivi being stopped for interrogation. The morning was bright, Vivi was happy to see, and warm, much different than the place he'd been held prisoner.

They headed down through the sandlot to the main shopping district, where it was too early for the shoppers and too late for the students on their way to school. Nobody looked twice at them, though, as it was completely normal for Seifer's gang—minus Vivi, who they didn't notice in the middle of all the taller teens—to ditch school.

They went to the far end, where an old, beat up building sat looking forlorn. It had once been rumored the place was haunted by the first owner, as the stores that moved in always went out of business within the month. Really, it was just the crummy location at the end of the street and the fact most stores already carried everything that could possibly be sold. Everything, that is, except fireworks.

"Yo!"

They jumped at the sudden sound, but a quick look around revealed nobody nearby.

"Up here!" Axel waved from the roof, hammer in hand. "Shouldn't you kids be in school?"

"We ditched," Seifer called back.

Axel rolled his eyes and jumped down. Raijin and Fuujin flinched back, as it was a good drop and if done wrong, a person could break there legs easy. Axel, however, was good with the whole acrobatic thing and landed lightly on his feet.

"If you guys don't go to school, how do you expect to get a good job, hm?"

Seifer smirked. "Not that hard to become law enforcement, especially when your dad's a cop."

"And Fuu's gonna be a chef, ya know?" Raijin laughed. "And I'm gonna be work in construction."

Axel turned to Vivi. "And you?" he asked, amused by the others. "I suppose something magic related, since you're so good at magic."

"I-I'm not that good!" Vivi squeaked.

"Isn't magic all about believing in yourself?" Axel asked, raising an eyebrow. "Trust me, I've met some powerful magic users, and you're near the top of the list."

Vivi blushed. "R-really?"

"Really, really." Axel looked back at his building and sighed. "Now, unless you four want to help me with repairs, I think you all should head to school."Seifer looked at the dilapidated building and then over his shoulder at where the school was. "Where're the hammers?"

* * *

They sent Vivi home early around noon, before he collapsed from exhaustion and his mom got home, as his mom's veterinarian office closed early on weekdays. Vivi was supposed to be bedridden, so if she saw him wandering around outside, he'd be grounded for a week.

He reached the house and sat at the kitchen table just as his mother pulled into the driveway. Few people owned cars in Twilight Town, and Vivi's mom was one of those people.

"Oh! You're up!" Mrs. Orunitia walked over and gave Vivi a hug. "How are you feeling, sweety?"

"Pretty good," Vivi replied vaguely. In truth, his felt drained and wanted nothing more than to curl up in his bed and sleep some more.

His mother smiled and went over to the cabinets. "Would you like anything for lunch?" she asked, digging through the cans for the condensed soup. She retrieved a can of Chicken Noodle and set to work heating it up.

An awkward silence fell over the two, something that hadn't happened at all in the years after Vivi's father's death. Well, adopted father. Vivi was abandoned a little after he was born and adopted by the Orunitias a month later.

"So Vivi," his mother started, ladling some of the soup into a bowl, "you do can do magic?"

Vivi nodded, his throat too dry to speak. This was the conversation he'd been avoiding since he found out what he was.

Mrs. Orunitia set the bowl before her son and sat across from him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I..." Vivi stared at the soup in front of him. "I was scared of what you'd say."

His mother blinked. "'Of what I'd say'?" she repeated. "Vivi, had I known you could do magic, I wouldn't have been worrying about you or those toasters blowing up so much!"

Vivi blushed. Yen Sid had told him that developing magicians often caused minor explosions in objects—especially in electrical appliances for some reason—and in Vivi's case, the toaster often took the brunt of his magic outbursts. Yen Sid must have explained most of everything to his mother when he came to check on him and leave an ether.

"I-I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." His mother smiled brightly. "You're just a little different, and that's nothing to apologize for. Besides, from what your teacher Yen Sid's told me, you have quite a knack for it."

Vivi nodded. Again, Yen Sid had told him that on multiple occasions.

His mother smiled and walked around the table to give her adopted son another big hug. "Vivi, you could be purple with pink polka dots and I'd still love you. I won't hate you simply because you have a special talent none of the other kids have. Heck, I think that makes you even more special."

Vivi nodded and closed his eyes in his mother's embrace. "Thanks, Mom."


	34. The Other Side

**Chapter 34: The Other Side**

The morning was bright and warm, completely different from the day before. When Roxas first opened his eyes, he couldn't remember where he was, for the snow from the day before was already melted off the trees and the icicles had long since turned to the vanishing puddles in the sand. Nothing of the winter wonderland was left but the memories faded by sleep.

Then the memories came back, and Roxas sat up with a start. The sun was high in the sky, making him wonder just how long he'd been sleeping. The others were still snoring away, making him really wonder what time it was.

"Morning!"

The voice was muffled, but it was definitely Kairi's. Carefully, Roxas stepped around his friends—everyone (except Sora and Kairi) was sleeping in Riku's living room, since no one was home to care about it—and headed to the front door. "Morning," he said, still a little sleepy as he opened the door. "What time is it?"

"It's almost eight," Kairi said. She stepped around him and headed for the living room. "Time to get up, guys!" she called.

There were groans from the still half-asleep as they sat up and grumbled about how early it was. Only Olette, who had wandered off to the bathroom before Roxas woke up, and Selena, who'd been munching on some cereal in the kitchen, weren't complaining.

"So what's the plan?" Roxas asked, being one of the few who were awake.

"Same as before," Selena replied. "We'll keep blindly searching for the Door to Darkness and search for heart shards."

"That's really the plan?" Pence sighed.

"What a stupid plan," Hayner muttered. Everyone gave him a dark look. "Hey, I'm just voicing what everyone's thinking."

Olette shook her head. "There are times when you should say things, and there are others when you shouldn't."

"So where to?" Donald asked.

"No idea." Riku looked out the window and nodded to Sora's approaching form. "Guess we'll just have to ask our fearless leader."

"What's up, guys?" Sora said brightly after inviting himself in. "What's with the long faces? Didn't sleep well or something?"

The situation was explained to him, and he frowned thoughtfully. "Well, we could go to Port Royal and poke around there..."

"But this thing is random," Roxas said. "It could be in places we've already searched..." He stopped. That was it! "Selena, check that compass again, would you?"

Confused, Selena did. This time, rather than turning blue, the needle sparkled and pointed west. Her eyes widened. "The portal's here..." She stood up, knocking her chair over. "We have to hurry."

Outside, the day was warm and sunny, matching their mood. Things were finally looking up. They'd found the portal. Now all they had to do was get to it before it closed, which was easier said then done.

"How far is it?" Sora asked as they ran down the street, slipping occasionally on the slushy remains of the quickly melting snow.

"Don't know, but it's in this world."

"If it's on the mainland, I'll scream."

Riku grimaced. "I just hope it's not over open water. This _is_ an island surrounded by ocean, you know."

Selena smiled at his comment. "That would by horrible, but no, it seems to be on the island. I'm sure of that."

They continued running until Selena stopped. The sparkling compass was going wild, spinning like they were standing in whatever it was pointing at, but where was it? Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It just looked like they were in a town square that was deserted because of the early hour.

"Where is it?" Donald asked impatiently. "We're standing right on it!"

Naminé pointed to the sky. "Not on it. _Under_ it."

The others looked up and gasped. Just above there heads was a door-sized rectangle. In that rectangle was another place, almost like the rectangle was a window into the night sky.

"Well, we've found it," Sora said, stating the obvious for the umpteenth time during their journey. "Now what? We close it?"

Selena shook her head. "We go through."

"Wait, what?" Sora stared at the girl like she was crazy. "Why?"

"Because _he's_ already there," Roxas said. He could feel him. Xemnas, the Organization's superior and his former leader, was already on the other side. "Xemnas found this place a long time ago."

"So we have to go in there and kick his butt," Sora surmised. "Sounds easy enough. Me and Riku wiped the floor with the loser."

Selena gripped the compass more tightly. "You have to understand," she whispered. "Last time, he wasn't at full power. The Evil responsible for the Heartless was separated into two, the Heartless you knew as 'Ansem' and the Nobody known as 'Xemnas.' When you beat Ansem, the Evil in the heart was released and temporarily paralyzed. With his return..." she shook her head. "The halves of the Evil, I'm sure, has been reunited."

"Meaning he'll wipe the floor with us," Riku stated flatly.

Selena nodded.

"No problem!" Sora said, summoning his Keyblade. "There's more of us this time. We'll beat him for sure!"

"Not without our help, you won't."

They turned to find Demyx and Lexaeus, the first grinning broadly and the second frowning determinedly. "You're taking us with you. We'll even go grab Axel if we have to."

Roxas couldn't help but smile. "And you guys aren't scared to take on your boss?"

The two Nobodies looked at each other, then at Roxas. "That guy's no boss of ours," Demyx replied. "He's just a loon." Lexaeus nodded in agreement.

"If that's the case," Selena retrieved their final heart shards from her purse, "then take these. That way, even if we lose, you'll both be whole."

Hayner slung an arm around Selena's shoulders, which was a bit awkward, since she was so much shorter than him. "Hey, don't be a downer. We're gonna win for sure." He winked at her, but that didn't make her any less uneasy.

"We'll make it through this just fine," Pence added with a wink of his own.

The two Nobodies seemed to realize their chances of winning as well and took the shards solemnly without trying to pep talk Selena into a brighter mood as Hayner or Pence did. In fact, they suddenly seemed more worried than even Selena herself.

"We should get moving before the door closes," Riku reminded them as soon as everyone was ready.

The group nodded, and Sora, being the bravest—or possibly stupidest—member of the group, climbed up through the window first with help from Riku—the tallest member of the group. He disappeared from view a few moments, presumably to take a quick look around, before reappearing.

He offered the next volunteer his hand. "You guys have _got_ to check this out."

Roxas, the next to go up with Sora and Riku's help, stared around the new area. It was almost exactly like Destiny Islands, except it was nighttime—midnight, judging by the moon—instead of midmorning. The beaches were still sandy, the ocean still had waves... Everything was the same except for the dark rock formations in the middle of the horizon line.

"We've been here before," Riku stated, climbing through the window last. "Everything's the same."

"Yeah," Sora agreed, "barren included. Where is everyone?"

"Not on this island, maybe," Olette suggested, looking around the empty place. It was silent except for themselves and the waves.

"Or maybe Xemnas already got them," Selena said quietly.

Riku put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think that's the case." He gestured to the footprints further down the beach, where the tide would be if it were high. "Those had to have been made recently."

"So then where--?" Donald's question was interrupted by voices further down the beach.

"So what's the plan?" said a voice that sounded strangely like Sora's.

"To do our homework, remember?" replied another voice, this one sounding exactly like Riku's. "We have to find those shells for biology."

The Sora sound-alike groaned. "How's biology gonna help us in life?"

"It'll get us in a good college."

The group hid behind a couple of palm trees and watched the two pass. They didn't only sound like the two Keyblade Masters; they looked like them too. But like the rest of the world, there was something just a tad different. This Sora and Riku were paler than their Realm of Light counterparts, almost like they didn't get much sunlight, but that would make sense. This was the Realm of Darkness. Things were flipped in this world, so the night was their "day."

The two Dark Realm natives stopped, and the other Riku knelt down. "Hey, Sora, take a look at this."

The other Sora knelt down. "Holy sea cows, that's a big footprint." He looked up at his companion. "Giant, mutated bird, maybe?" Donald twitched at the description.

The other Riku shrugged. "Dunno, but this could be big. Got your camera?"

"Right here." Sora held up a nice looking camera and aimed it at the footprints. "Wouldn't it be cool if we discovered a new species or something? We could get extra credit for this!"

The Realm of Light Sora made a face. "I am not that geeky," he grumbled.

Riku grinned at his friend. "I dunno," he said, mimicking his own counterpart, "it might be an improvement."

"Did you hear something?" the other Riku asked, scanning the tree line.

"Nope," the other Sora replied, snapping a few more shots of Donald's footprints. "Could be those weird fiends again. Nothing to worry about, really."

"_Fiends_?" Kairi mouthed to Olette.

"Man-eating monsters," the other girl whispered back. "Heartless, maybe?"

Demyx shook his head. "No. They're beasts that don't steal hearts and just kill anything that gets in their way. Vexen was experimenting with them before you kicked his butt."

The other Sora looked up. "Hey, do you think there are ghosts here?"

"You heard it that time too." It was more of a statement than a question.

Roxas glanced at Demyx and mouthed, "_Go._"

Demyx understood and stepped out from the trees with Lexeaus. "Howdy," he said brightly. "Um, we got a little lost and well... We were trying to figure out where we were." He laughed nervously. "When we heard you guys coming, we thought you were those weird fiends and hid."

"The weird fiends don't talk, though," the other Riku said. "They don't really make any noise, come to think of it."

"Yeah, they're like shadows or something, the way they move. It's creepy," the other Sora agreed.

"You never know," Demyx replied. "Maybe they'll learn how to talk. They _are_ pretty strange. So," he finished, "where are we, exactly?"

Sora and Riku looked at each other. "Destiny Islands," they replied in unison, "on one of the islands people don't live on."

"So that's why we couldn't find someone to ask for directions," Demyx said. He grinned at Lexeaus. "Well, we should probably get going... Oh!" He turned back to the other Sora and Riku. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a creepy guy with long white hair and yellow eyes, would you? He's... our navigator and we got separated earlier today."

Again, the other Sora and Riku looked at each other. "Nope. Haven't seen anyone like that. Maybe the weird fiends got them."

"Oh," Demyx sighed. "Okay, then. Thanks for your help." He headed back to the tree line, where he was pretending to pick up stuff they left there.

"Who are you two, anyway?"

"Explorers," Demyx replied. "We were looking around this area for undiscovered islands or something of that sort, but something capsized our ship. Probably a couple fiends."

That didn't seem like anything knew to the Dark Realm residents and they asked no more questions, giving the two former Nobodies a chance to escape back into the trees.

Pence frowned. That had been a little unexpected. "So what's the plan?"

"At the moment? Probably to find where Xemnas is hiding and kick his butt." Sora—the Keyblade Master—replied.

"How're we supposed to find someone when we have no idea where they are?" Donald pointed out.

Sora shrugged. "It all works out eventually."

Donald's eyes narrowed. "How?"

"Dunno. But it always does."

Riku slapped his forehead. "Sora, it's an attitude like that that always gets us into these kinds of—"

"Guys!" Roxas shouted, pointing to the other Sora and Riku just outside the foliage. Another person had joined them, a person he and the other two Keyblade Masters were all too familiar with.

The person raised a gloved hand, and a saber made entirely of a red hot laser appeared. The other Destiny Islanders had been distracted by Roxas's shout and hadn't even noticed the person until his hand was already coming down.

"Oh no you don't," Pence said, throwing his shield. It hit the sand right in front of the two and flashed. The light grew quickly into a huge bubble that the laser sword glanced harmlessly off.

The hooded figure smirked. "So you made it after all." His voice was deep, but it seemed spliced with something almost like a snake's voice. His burning red eyes fell on Roxas and the others in the tree line. "I wondered how long until I met you again." He held out his other hand, and beam sword to match the first appeared. "But you're too late. I'll kill these two, and it'll be the end of you, Keybearer." He raised both arms high over his head and swung down hard.

This time, the glowing shield shattered as if it were made of nothing more than glass, but unlike last time, the other Sora and Riku were prepared. Both dodged the attack, and Riku, being just as smart as the one from the Realm of Light, grabbed a handful of sand and threw it in Xemnas's face, blinding the Nobody.

The Nobody stumbled back, temporarily blinded. "You'll pay for that." He swung his laser sword blindly about, hitting things indiscriminately and not stopping to see if he hit anything at all. He had no allies here and so he didn't hold back.

Demyx was the first to go down. He wasn't quick enough to dodge the still-blind Xemnas and fell under the Nobody's blade, gripping his side and gasping in pain. It was all he could do to stumble away from another heavy blow.

"You okay?" Olette cast a quick healing spell, but it didn't seem to help.

"It hurts," Demyx gasped out. His grip on his wound tightened. "It feels like it's on fire!"

Roxas knelt next to the former Nobody and pried his fingers away. "What is this?" His voice was a mixture of fear and disgust.

The wound wasn't a normal injury. The blood was black, as was the skin around the cut, and that blackness seemed to be spreading. The blood wasn't stopping, either. It was like Xemnas's blade had done more than just cut skin. Roxas's eyes widened. It _had_ done more than just cut skin.

"Selena!" The girl rushed closer at Roxas's call—she'd been the one to grab the other Sora and Riku and tell them to run and was thus at the edge of the battlefield. "What's happening?"

The girl's eyes widened at the sight of the wound—not a good sign. "Is that it bad?" Demyx asked, wincing slightly. His hand moved to clutch the wound again, but Roxas held it firmly away.

"Worse." Her voice was barely a whisper. "It's infected."

Olette frowned. "That's nothing some medicine can't fix."

But Selena shook her head. "Not by bacteria. By evil."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Demyx choked out. He let out a pained gasp and his hand flew to his side despite Roxas holding it back.

Selena swallowed thickly. "It means you're turning into a being like Sora became when he lost his heart the second time. You're turning into a monster." She hesitated before adding, "It'll be over soon."

Demyx's eyes widened. "What?" It came out as a squeak of shock and pain.

"Roxas." Selena stood and looked away when Roxas turned his attention on her. "Use your Keyblade. If you destroy Demyx's body now, perhaps his heart will be safe when time rebounds on itself."

"You're kidding!" Olette cried. "He's going to disappear?"

Selena nodded stonily.

Roxas shook his head. "No. I won't do it."

A hand fell heavily on Roxas's arm. "It's fine." Demyx smiled when Roxas stared at the man in horror. "I've 'died' before. Besides," he added, "if you don't do it, I'll just jump in front of someone else's Keyblade. Heaven knows there's enough of them here." He grinned, making his threat seem almost like a joke. Dark swirls were making their way up his neck.

Roxas gulped some air. This was bad. This was really bad. But he knew he had to do it. Something told him he had to do it. He lifted the Shining Hope, feeling for the first time since he'd received it that the blade weighed too much for someone like himself to carry. The blade flashed as it stabbed through the air and imbedded itself in Demyx's chest.

The reaction was different than Roxas had expected. He'd expected the former Nobody to flinch, to cringe, to do something to show that it hurt, but instead, Demyx just let out a small sigh and closed his eyes. The man's body glowed for a moment and the telltale sparkles that had signaled all the other whole Nobodies' disappearance appeared. Moments later, Demyx was gone.

Tears stung the back of Roxas's eyes, but he stubbornly held them back. He knew that it had to be done. He _knew_ there was no other way. But why? Why did it have to happen? His grip on the Keyblade tightened. "He'll pay."

Olette stared up at Roxas wide-eyed. "Roxas..."

"He'll pay!" Roxas threw himself into the fray and launched at Xemnas. He swung his Dark Prophet as hard as he could, but Xemnas, who'd regained his sight sometime while Roxas had been with Demyx, blocked the blow and threw him to the ground.

"Worm," Xemnas raised his sword, "did you honestly think you could beat me?" He laughed. "I'm not using half my strength, and you can't land a hit." His smile was cold and mocking.

"It doesn't matter if you're using all your strength or just a part of it," Roxas muttered, standing slowly. It was like all his energy had been drained from him. "I'll defeat you for what you did to Demyx." His Keyblades felt impossibly heavy.

Xemnas laughed again. "Really? You think you can beat me?" He disappeared in a blur of movement.

"Where'd he go?" Lexaeus asked, his tomahawk at the ready.

"Behind you."

Xemnas's sword stabbed straight through Lexaeus's chest. The former Nobody gagged and stumbled away, hand pressed against the bleeding the same way Demyx's had. Riku, who had seen and heard about Demyx, moved forward to save and destroy Lexaeus.

"So tell me," Xemnas said, his face a mask of amusement as Lexaeus vanished in a shower of gold dust, "are you going to kill all your friends if I get them?"

Roxas's eyes narrowed and the hair on the back of his neck rose. He took a step toward Xemnas, Keyblades ready, but someone grabbed his hand. He stopped.

"Don't," Naminé whispered. "This is what he wants. You'll be exactly like he is if you kill for revenge. You want to save him like the other Nobodies." Her eyes searched Roxas's face for confirmation. "Don't you?"

"I want to make him pay," Roxas snapped in reply. The Keyblades in his hands felt even heavier and he felt more than heard someone trying to tell him otherwise. "I want to make him pay for what he did."

"Violence breeds violence," Naminé whispered, "and revenge breeds more revenge." She shook her head. "You don't want that, do you?"

"No..." Roxas felt the blades in his hands become lighter. "I don't want that. I don't want that at all."

Xemnas's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What happened to making me pay?" he asked. "Have you given up the fight?"

Roxas readied his Keyblades once more. "No. We just had a change of tactics." He nodded to his friends. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

Riku charged first, being the closest, and when Xemnas attacked, dodged to the right in a feint. Sora then attacked from the other side while the Nobody's attention was drawn elsewhere, landing a heavy blow. When Xemnas turned to take care of Sora, Roxas ran behind him from the other direction and attacked. Hayner, Pence, Goofy, and the Gullwings—whom Kairi had summoned—followed suit, with Olette and Donald firing off spells from afar.

Their tactics seemed to be working. Xemnas couldn't tell which direction they'd be attacking from next, making it impossible for him to prepare a dodge or a block in time to defend himself. It really seemed like they were going to win no problem, or at least that's what they thought until Xemnas decided not to hold back any longer.

The Nobody stumbled away from his attackers, into the shallow water of the incoming tide. The telltale black steam started rising from his body, and the team grinned excitedly at each other. It was over. They'd beaten Xemnas no problem, just as Hayner had said.

"You think you've won?" Xemnas growled, glaring at each and every person. His eyes lingered on Roxas the longest. "You, who used to be my minion?"

"Yes," Roxas replied confidently. "You're disappearing. That means we won."

Xemnas choked out a laugh. "I never knew you were a comedian, Number Thirteen." He straightened to full height. The steam stopped. "You'll never defeat me. Never."

The air around Xemnas shimmered. "You'll never defeat me!" he repeated as his body shifted and cracked. Dark streams shot out from his body as his skin darkened and his body grew larger and larger. His hands shifted into huge talons. His feet exploded from their boots and turned into scaly claws. Tattered black wings burst from his back. His face lengthened into a long muzzle with sharp teeth peeking out from beneath his lips.

The dragon, for that's what Xemnas had become, stretched its wings, raised its head on its long neck and roared.

The force of the roar was so great, Roxas had to dig his Keyblades into the sand to keep from getting blown away by the cold wind that whipped all around him. It was a strange cold, one that pierced him inside and out, prodding him, as if looking for something. He felt a sharp pain when that cold touched his heart and tried to rip it from his chest. He cried out and gritted his teeth. _I won't become a Heartless,_ he thought determinedly. _I won't become a Nobody again. I want to be me!_

His Keyblades grew hot in his hands, reacting to his thoughts, and sent that heat throughout his entire body. The cold _things_ prodding inside of him melted, and the pain ceased. But the cold outside his body was still there. The Keyblades could do nothing about that.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. There was nothing around him. Absolutely nothing. The beach was gone, the sand below his feet was gone, the ocean was gone, _everything_ was gone. He was floating in nothingness, neither light nor dark, but he couldn't be floating, for his feet was on something solid he couldn't see.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi were having similar experiences, staring around at the new place. _But it's not new,_ Roxas thought, looking around as well. _We didn't move. Xemnas just destroyed it all._

_"Foolish humans." _The voice was cold, inhuman. _"You dare defy my power?"_

"Yeah," Sora said, putting on a brave front and readying his Keyblade. "What'd you do with everyone else? Give them back, and I won't kick your butt now!"

The dragon pulled back his lips in a snarling smirk. _"You can have them back."_

Dark splotches appeared on the invisible ground. From those splotches came a different kind of Heartless, one Roxas had never seen before. They looked like Shadows, but there was something different about them. Then with a pang of horror, Roxas realized what that difference was.

Each Shadow _looked_ like one of their friends. There was Hayner in the back next to Olette. There was Donald over by Goofy. And Naminé... Where _was_ Naminé?

_"I'm afraid these two are stronger than they appear,"_ Xemnas the dragon said, raising a taloned hand. In his palm were Selena and Naminé, both frantically hitting Xemnas's cage-like fingers. _"One's heart is incomplete, the other has too strong of a heart. Neither would become Heartless when I told them to." _Again, his lips pulled back in a half-snarl, half-smirk. _"I guess I'll just kill them."_

"Don't!" Kairi shouted. She swung her Keyblade and summoned Maleficent. The witch stood at full height and raised her arms high above her head. A green light formed in the air above her, and the witch flung it at the monstrous beast.

_"Magic will do nothing,"_ Xemnas growled, smacking the ball of light away like it was just a firefly. _"Nothing can defeat me."_ He roared again, this time focusing the force at Maleficent. The witch vanished and was replaced by an awkward Heartless.

"Any ideas on how to take this guy down?" Sora whispered to Riku.

"Just one." Riku readied his Keyblade. "Attack!"

The two charged and dodged to different sides as they had before, but Xemnas was a lot bigger this time. He swatted both Keyblade Masters away just as he had Maleficent's magic, but this time he got some damage. Riku had stabbed his clawed hand with the Keyblade before he was sent flying; Sora had done the same to his belly. The Keyblades stuck, even when the two were thrown away and transformed into Heartless before Roxas's eyes.

"No! Sora! Riku!" Kairi cried. She went to go run to their Heartless, but Roxas stopped her. "Let me go! Sora!"

"There's no point," Roxas said, eyeing Xemnas as he howled in pain and tried to remove the thorns known as the Keyblades. "They're Heartless, and even if we defeat them with the Keyblade, their hearts will just disappear until we beat him."

Roxas didn't know how he knew this. It was like someone was telling him, even as he said it to Kairi. The Dark Prophet warmed in his hand. So that was it. The Keyblade was telling him. It was also telling him something else. Something important.

"Kairi, I have a plan," he whispered. "You have to trust me." Kairi nodded, and Roxas explained the plan just as the Keyblade was telling him, careful to keep an eye on Xemnas. The Nobody was screaming in pain and thrashing about, trying to remove the Keyblades jabbed into him. There was no danger of him overhearing. When he finished, Kairi looked even paler than when Sora and Riku were turned into Heartless. "Do you understand?"

The girl nodded weakly. Roxas put on a brave smile. "I know it's a long shot, and I know I'm asking a lot, but I'm sure this is going to work."

Kairi lifted her Keyblade, as according to plan, and summoned everyone she had in her arsenal. The Gullwings, Stitch... Everyone appeared in the nothingness, standing protectively in front of the two remaining wielders of the Keyblades.

Xemnas stopped biting at the blades embedded in his scales and rounded on the newly summoned force. _"You still think you can beat me?"_

"No, we know." Roxas took a deep, steadying breath. This was it. It was now or never. There would be no redos. "Let's go!"

Kairi's team of summons all attacked, though not even Yuna's bullets seemed to get through Xemnas's thick hide. Roxas, meanwhile, was ducking under the fray, dodging any blows that Xemnas sent Kairi's way. He heard Kairi scream behind him and knew that Xemnas had defeated her and her summons, but there was no time for hesitation, no time to look back.

He flung himself forward and jammed the Shining Hope into Xemnas's chest where his heart should have been. He used that as a foothold before jumping higher, aiming for Xemnas's face and the large stone that bedecked his forehead. He slammed the Dark Prophet down on the giant stone and heard a satisfying crack.But that was all Roxas heard.

* * *

_(gets shot at) _Not done yet! I'm working on the next chapter as we speak! Oh, and to make the next chapter quicker, I'm not going to do a Vivi short.


	35. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Sora! Wake up, you lazy bum!"

Sora lazily opened his eyes. He felt like he'd been sleeping forever and a day. "Kairi? What's up?" He sat up and brushed the sand out of his hair. He'd been sleeping on the beach once again.

His girlfriend smiled down at him. "What do think is up?"

He noticed she was hiding something behind her back and that Riku was standing next to her, his characteristic frown on his face. "Uh..." This wasn't the first time Kairi had asked him sch a bizarre question. "You guys had weird dreams about funny little cartoony monsters running around eating people's hearts?**1**"

"Well, besides that," Riku said.

"Dude!" Sora jumped up, lost his balance in the soft, shifty sand, and fell in the shallow water of high tide. "I was joking! You guys really dreamt all that too?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "That's not important now, Sora. What _is_ important is what we got via message in a bottle."

Sora raised an eyebrow and looked at Kairi, who revealed the glass bottle behind her back. "Take a look!" she said, grinning.

He took the bottle and dumped out the rolled note within. He scanned through its contents quickly and grinned. "So it wasn't a dream.""Nope. And if we want a ride, we'd better hurry." Kairi grabbed Sora's hand, hauled him out of the tide, and the three ran off together.

* * *

"Hayner!" Olette put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you forgetting what today is?"

The leader of the little gang tilted his head. "What are you going on about now?"

Pence rolled his eyes. Sometimes, Hayner could be so forgetful. "The party? At the train station? We were going to meet everyone there?"

Hayner still was confused."Men," Olette grumbled, smacking her friend on the head and half-dragging him behind her.

* * *

There was something strangely familiar about this situation. Roxas was half-asleep on a train, wondering where in the universe he was and where he was going. Twilight Town was his destination. He was adopted by the Yoakes. _Wait a minute..._ That was Hayner's last name. Hadn't they already adopted him once before?

"Roxas, time to wake up."

The boy in question rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Naminé? What's going on?" He looked around the empty train car. "Wasn't I fighting Xemnas?"

"You won."

Roxas frowned. "Then shouldn't we not exist? The Heartless don't exist, so Sora never became a Nobody."

Naminé smiled. "It seems a lot of people paid Varan a great price to keep their memories."

"A lot of people?" Roxas repeated stupidly. "Like who?"

"Me, you, Sora, Riku, Kairi... Everyone."

"But what did we pay?"

Naminé shrugged. "No idea. Maybe part of the price was not remembering what it was we paid."

"This is hurting my brain."

Naminé laughed. "I don't understand it either." She reached above their heads and pulled down two duffel bags. One she threw at Roxas, the other she held on to. "Come on, it's almost our stop."

Roxas blinked. "Wait, so where are you going?"

"Some rich family adopted me. I'm living in that creepy old mansion." Her smile widened. "Except it's not as creepy, since the Ansem never messed with it."

The train slowed to a stop, and Roxas had to laugh at what he saw out the window. Everybody, witch, Keybearer, former Nobody, and other worlder, were standing on the platform, waving around signs that read, "Welcome back!""I think I'm gonna like it here even more," he said, stepping off the train into the crazy party his friends had put together.

* * *

**1** Kingdom Hearts in a nutshell.

Somehow, I'm sad that I finally finished this. After... what... four years of writing this? It's strange to finally get to the end. I've sworn to myself not to do a sequel though. I've had enough experience with sequels to know they're irritating.

Anywho, I'd like to thank everyone who stuck with me for this long. And for those who are curious, the story ended up being 245 pages in word. Again, I'd like to thank you all for reading all this and giving me your honest critique. I really appreciated all your comments, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Thankfully, I didn't get many of the last kind. XD


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